Ex  IGtbrtH 


SEYMOUR  DURST 


When  you  leave,  please  leave  this  book 

Because  it  has  been  said 
" Sver'thing  comes  t'  him  who  waits 

Except  a  loaned  book." 


Avery  Architectural  and  Fine  Arts  Library 
Gift  of  Seymour  B.  Durst  Old  York  Library 


I 


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HAMILTON'S  ITINERARIUM 

A.  D.  1744 

In  One  Volume 


HAMILTON'S 

ITINERARIUM 


BEING  A 


NARRATIVE  OF  A  JOURNEY 

FROM  ANNAPOLIS,  MARYLAND 
THROUGH  DELAWARE,  PENNSYLVANIA,  NEW  YORK, 
NEW  JERSEY,  CONNECTICUT,  RHODE  ISLAND, 
MASSACHUSETTS  AND  NEW  HAMPSHIRE 
FROM  MAY  TO  SEPTEMBER,  1744 


BY 

DOCTOR  ALEXANDER  HAMILTON 

EDITED  BY 

ALBERT  BUSHNELL  HART,  LL.D. 

PROFESSOR  OF  HISTORY  IN  HARVARD  UNIVKRSITY 


PRINTED  ONLY  FOR  PRIVATE  DISTRIBUTION 
BY  WILLIAM  K.  BIXBY 

SAINT  LOUIS,  MISSOURI— MCMVII 


6 

.U2l 


Copyrighted,  1907, 
William  K.  Bixby 


All  rights  reserved 


THE  DE  VINNE  PRESS 


Amico  suo  honorando,  divinitissimo  domino 
Onorio  Razolini,  manuscriptum  hocce  Itinerarium, 
observantiae  et  amoris  sui  qualecumque  symbolum, 
dat  consecratque 

Alexander  Hamilton. 


[Translation:] 

To  his  honourable  and  most  Christian  friend, 
Signor  Onorio  Razolini,  this  manuscript  Itinerary- 
is  dedicated  and  consecrated  as  a  slight  token  of  his 
love  and  respect  by 

Alexander  Hamilton. 


V 


The  reader  of  the  Itinerary  of  Doctor  Alexander 
Hamilton  will  be  interested  in  knowing  something 
of  the  history  of  the  manuscript.  It  was  purchased 
by  the  present  owner  from  Messrs.  B.  F.  Stevens  & 
Brown,  of  No.  4  Trafalgar  Square,  London.  They 
purchased  it  from  Frank  T.  Sabin,  of  No.  118 
Shaftesbury  Avenue,  London,  who  states:  — 

"The  manuscript  remained  in  the  possession  of 
the  family  of  the  Italian  gentleman  to  whom  it  was 
dedicated,  and  to  whom  it  was  originally  given, 
until  within  a  few  years.  It  then  passed  into  the 
hands  of  an  Italian  bookseller,  who  sent  it  to  a  cor- 
respondent in  London,  from  whom  I  purchased  it. 

"Doubtless,  owing  to  the  rather  obscure  lettering 
on  the  back,  it  remained  almost  unnoticed  for  the 
last  hundred  years,  or,  on  the  other  hand,  it  may 
have  been  preserved  with  reverent  care  by  a  gener- 
ation or  two  of  descendants,  who  finally,  tempted  by 
a  good  offer,  parted  with  it.  It  will  not  do  for  me 
to  indulge  in  too  much  fanciful  conjecture.  So  far 
as  facts  are  concerned,  they  are  as  stated  above." 

The  present  owner  of  the  manuscript  prints  it  for 
private  distribution,  believing  that  an  unpublished 
manuscript  of  this  period  will  be  of  interest  to  the 
parties  to  whom  he  sends  it. 

W.  K.  B. 


vii 


I 


(  

Four  hundred  and  eighty-seven  copies  of  this 
work  have  been  printed  for  private  distribution  only. 
The  forms  have  been  broken  up  and  the  type 
distributed. 


INTRODUCTION 


BY  ALBERT  BUSH  NELL  HART 

PROFESSOR  OF  HISTORY  IN  HARVARD  UNIVERSITY 

Among  the  numerous  journals  and  narratives  of 
travel  during  the  Colonial  period,  few  are  so  lively 
and  so  full  of  good-humored  comment  on  people  and 
customs  as  the  Itinerarium  of  Dr.  Hamilton,  which 
now  for  the  first  time  has  become  known.  The  his- 
tory both  of  the  manuscript  and  of  the  writer  is 
obscure.  The  original  is  a  well-written  and  a  re- 
markably well-spelled  manuscript,  covering  both 
sides  of  sheets  63^x85^  inches,  and  making  two 
hundred  and  seventy-eight  pages.  It  is  bound  in 
vellum  in  a  style  unknown  in  America  at  that  time, 
and  therefore  probably  the  work  of  an  Italian  book- 
binder. At  the  end  is  a  statement  that  the  manu- 
script was  "Presented  by  Alexander  Hamilton, 
Doctor  of  Medicine,  to  Onorio  Razolini.  Annapo- 
lis, Nov.  2Q,  1744."  This  was  two  months  after 
Hamilton  returned  to  AnnapoHs,  and  it  is  probable 
that  his  Italian  friend  was  a  visitor  there,  and  that 
he  wrote  a  continuous  manuscript  from  notes  taken 
during  his  journey.  It  could  hardly  have  been  in- 
tended for  publication  at  the  time  when  written, 
for  it  is  too  free  in  comment  on  well  known  indi- 
viduals. No  reference  is  discoverable  to  the  manu- 
script, either  in  the  literature  of  the  time  or  in  later 
bibliographies;  and  it  appears  never  to  have  been 

ix 


consulted  as  a  contribution  to  American  history 
until  acquired  by  Mr.  Bixby. 

In  preparing  the  manuscript  for  the  press,  the 
editor  has  had  the  efficient  aid  of  two  graduate 
students  of  Harvard  University,  Mr.  Thomas  N. 
Hoover  has  made  a  diligent  search  into  the  refer- 
ences to  persons ;  and  nearly  all  the  important  names 
have  been  placed  in  their  proper  setting,  though 
some  of  the  abbreviated  names  and  obscure  indi- 
viduals resisted  all  effort  to  make  them  yield  their 
identity.  Mr.  John  Kennedy  Lacock  has  followed 
the  route  of  Hamilton  throughout  his  journey,  and 
has  been  been  able  to  verify  every  place  that  he 
passed  or  visited,  except  some  of  the  taverns  which 
have  long  since  ceased  to  exist;  and  the  map  accom- 
panying this  volume  is  the  result  of  his  researches. 
The  editorial  foot-notes  have  purposely  been  made 
succinct,  the  object  being  to  state  the  full  names  of 
persons  and  places,  with  no  detail  except  so  far  as 
necessary  for  identification.  Hamilton's  accuracy 
as  a  writer  is  shown  by  the  fact  that  in  only  two 
or  three  cases,  which  are  duly  pointed  out  in  the 
foot-notes,  has  he  been  detected  in  any  serious 
mistake. 

The  subject  of  this  volume  is  a  journey  which 
Dr.  Hamilton  undertook  in  1744,  leaving  Annapo- 
lis May  30,  and  travelling  overland  northward 
through  New  Castle,  Wilmington,  and  Chester  to 
Philadelphia.  Mr.  Hasell,  of  Barbadoes,  whom 
he  had  expected  to  travel  with  him  from  An- 
napolis, he  found  at  Philadelphia,  where  he  stayed  a 
week.  June  13,  he  resumed  his  journey  and  spent 
three  days  on  the  ro^d  to  New  York,  crossing  the 
Delaware  near  Bristol,  and  passing  through  Tren- 

X 


ton  and  Princeton  to  Perth  Amboy ;  and  thence,  via 
three  ferries,  to  Staten  Island,  across  the  Narrows, 
and  across  the  East  River  to  New  York,  that 
being  apparently  the  surest  and  most  convenient 
route.  After  six  days  in  New  York,  he  started, 
June  21,  in  a  sloop  for  Albany,  together  with  Rev. 
John  Miln,  formerly  a  clergyman  in  Albany.  The 
journey  up  occupied  nearly  five  days;  he  stayed 
about  a  week  in  and  around  Albany,  and  spent  three 
days  on  the  return  sloop  journey.  After  five  days' 
stay  in  New  York,  July  5  to  10,  he  started  eastward 
with  two  Boston  merchants,  journeying  through 
Long  Island  to  the  neighborhood  of  Montauk  Point, 
thence  across  the  Sound  to  New  London,  and 
thence  through  Stonington,  Newport,  Bristol,  and 
Dedham  to  Boston,  the  whole  journey  occupying 
eight  days.  At  Boston  he  stayed  ten  days,  and  then, 
July  28,  started  northward,  stopping  at  Marble- 
head,  Salem,  Ipswich,  and  Newbury,  to  Portsmouth 
and  New  Castle,  and  back  by  the  same  route,  a 
week's  journey  in  all.  After  about  two  weeks  in 
Boston,  he  started  southward  August  18,  going 
through  Providence  and  Bristol  to  Newport,  where 
he  stayed  a  week.  He  resumed  his  travels  August 
24,  passing  New  London,  Saybrook,  New  Haven, 
and  Norwalk  to  New  York,  a  week's  journey.  The 
second  visit  in  New  York  occupied  two  weeks;  he 
left  September  13,  and  after  five  days'  stay  in 
Philadelphia,  reached  home  again  September  27, 
having  travelled,  as  he  records  it,  1624  miles. 

As  to  the  author,  throughout  the  Itinerarium  he 
modestly  refrains  from  discussion  of  his  own  family 
or  condition  and  mentions  his  first  name  only  in  the 
dedication  to  his  friend  Razolini;  but  it  is  almost 


certain,  in  view  of  the  fact  that  the  manuscript 
in  one  place  alludes  to  Mr.  Dulany  of  Annapolis, 
that  he  was  the  Doctor  Alexander  Hamilton  who, 
on  May  29,  1747,  was  married  to  Margaret 
Dulany,  daughter  of  Hon.  Daniel  Dulany;  and  that 
this  lady  was  the  widowed  Mrs.  Hamilton  who  in 
1757  married  William  Murdock.  Dr.  Alexander 
Hamilton  had  a  brother  of  whom  he  speaks  as  prac- 
tising medicine  in  Maryland  in  1727,  and  apparently 
still  in  Annapolis  in  1744.  Hamilton  seems  to  have 
been  fond  of  discursive  writings,  for  he  was  the 
Historian  of  a  society  called  the  Tuesday  Club  in 
Annapolis,  and  has  left  several  folio  volumes  in 
manuscript  of  a  serio-comic  history  of  that  organi- 
zation, which  from  the  few  specimens  printed  seem 
somewhat  inferior  to  the  Itinerarium  in  literary 
skill. 

The  Itinerarium  by  chance  allusions  makes  it 
certain  that  Hamilton  was  born  in  Scotland,  and 
"learnt  pharmacy"  of  David  Knox,  an  Edinburgh 
surgeon.  Some  time  in  his  life  he  travelled  in  Eng- 
land, and  visited  London.  He  practised  medicine  in 
Annapolis,  but  suffered  a  severe  illness  in  1743,  so 
that  he  calls  himself  in  one  place  a  "valetudinarian" ; 
and  he  made  the  journey  in  1744  chiefly  to  recover 
his  health.  Of  Annapolis  he  seems  not  to  have  been 
very  fond;  although  he  wrote  home  while  on  his 
travels,  he  records  that  for  three  months  he  re- 
ceived no  news;  and  he  alludes  to  the  place  as  "a 
desolate  expensive  town,"  and  "that  wretched  city." 
He  was  well  acquainted  in  Maryland,  where  he  had 
many  friends  and  was  in  the  habit  of  meeting  vis- 
itors from  other  Colonies,  some  of  whom  were  hos- 
pitable to  him  on  his  travels.    He  had  means  to 

xii 


travel  like  a  gentleman,  with  two  horses,  one  of 
which  carried  his  negro  slave  man,  Dromo;  and  to 
live  comfortably  wherever  he  went.  Dr.  Moffatt,  of 
Newport,  he  calls  "an  old  acquaintance  and  school 
fellow  of  mine."  He  took  in  the  Physical  News,  of 
Edinburgh,  a  medical  journal. 

Hamilton  could  speak  Latin  and  a  little  French, 
the  latter  language  he  could  also  write  with  some 
facility ;  and  he  was  interested  in  current  and  classi- 
cal literature.  He  alludes  to  Rabelais;  notes  con- 
versation about  Cervantes;  reads  "a  book  lately 
writ  by  Fielding,  entitled  The  Adventures  of  Joseph 
Andrews,  and  thought  my  time  well  spent."  He 
reads  Montaigne's  Essays,  and  Rollin's  Belles  Let- 
tres.  He  likes  Shakespeare's  Timon  of  Athens;  he 
reads  Mucins  Scsevola,  "a  most  luscious  piece,  .  .  . 
but  only  because  I  knew  it  to  be  a  piece  of  excellent 
good  Latin." 

Although  this  is  substantially  all  the  positive  in- 
formation that  can  be  gleaned  from  the  Itinerarium, 
Hamilton's  character  is  clearly  and  agreeably  re- 
vealed from  beginning  to  end.  First  of  all  he  is  a 
lover  of  Nature,  interested  in  the  face  of  the  coun- 
try, noticing  rocks,  bowlders,  unusual  trees,  and  the 
beauties  of  the  seashore.  He  is  only  mildly  inter- 
ested in  government,  noticing  in  Pennsylvania  poli- 
tics, "the  interest  of  the  Palatines  [that  is,  the  Penn- 
sylvania Dutch]  in  this  Province,  who  of  late  have 
turned  so  numerous  that  they  can  sway  the  votes 
which  way  they  please ;"  and  he  thinks  the  govern- 
ment of  Pennsylvania  "a  kind  of  anarchy  (or  no 
government),  there  being  perpetual  jars  between 
the  two  parts  of  the  legislature."  He  is  told  that 
the  Jersey  House  of  Assembly  "was  chiefly  com- 

xiii 


posed  of  mechanics  and  ignorant  wretches,  obsti- 
nate to  the  last  degree ;"  but  in  general,  he  is  content 
to  leave  politics  aside,  and  will  not  even  discuss  the 
political  and  social  conditions  of  his  own  province. 

Hamilton  is  always  interested  in  science,  or  what 
was  then  taken  for  science.  He  talks  with  a  "vir- 
tuoso in  botany;"  he  looks  in  vain  for  the  ginseng 
plant;  he  criticises  a  Treatise  on  Microscopes,  and 
shows  some  knowledge  of  mathematics;  he  talks 
philosophy  and  disputes  on  the  theory  of  the  tides 
with  the  gentlemen  at  Todd's  Tavern  in  New  York. 
Like  other  scientific  men  he  has  a  low  opinion  of 
the  science  which  he  hears  in  a  Boston  sermon ;  but 
he  greatly  appreciates  a  "sun  microscope."  On  all 
such  subjects  his  point  of  view  is  that  of  an  intel- 
ligent, well-read,  and  thoughtful  man. 

Throughout  the  journey  Hamilton  found  himself 
at  home  among  the  doctors,  and  the  Itinerarium 
throws  an  interesting  light  upon  the  conditions  of 
the  art  of  healing  nearly  two  centuries  ago.  Be- 
sides his  previous  acquaintances  in  the  profession, 
he  started  out  with  letters  of  introduction  to  several 
distinguished  physicians,  and  was  by  them  recom- 
mended to  others.  Among  them  was  the  eminent 
Dr.  Phineas  Bond,  of  Philadelphia,  who  showed 
him  "some  pretty  good  anatomical  preparations"; 
Dr.  Colquhoun,  of  New  York ;  Dr.  Moffatt,  of  New- 
port; Dr.  William  Douglass  and  Dr.  Clark  of  Bos- 
ton ;  Dr.  Goddard,  of  New  London.  Much  conver- 
sation is  recorded  on  the  controversy  between  the 
"empirical"  and  the  "clinical"  schools,  including  hot 
discussions  of  the  authority  of  Boerhaave  and  his 
works.  He  notes  several  doctors  who  combined 
with  the  medical  profession  that  of  the  ministry. 


XIV 


The  allusions  to  the  theory  of  medicine  are,  how- 
ever, few.  People  catch  ague  from  being  out  late 
nights,  and  the  appropriate  remedy  is  "the  force  of 
a  vomit."  On  the  whole,  Hamilton  finds  his  pro- 
fession in  a  low  state.  "The  doctors  in  Albany  are 
mostly  Dutch,  all  Empirics,  having  no  knowledge 
or  learning  but  what  they  have  acquired  by  their 
experience— a  great  many  of  them  take  the  care  of 
a  family  for  the  value  of  a  Dutch  dollar  a  year, 
which  makes  the  practice  of  physick  a  mean  thing, 
and  unworthy  of  the  application  of  a  gentleman. 
The  doctors  here  are  all  barbers."  Many  of  the 
doctors  whom  he  meets,  especially  in  New  York,  are 
drunken  roisterers;  and  many  others  are  palpable 
quacks,  such  as  the  "greasy  thumbed  fellow"  whom 
he  saw  pull  out  a  housemaid's  tooth  "with  a  great 
clumsy  pair  of  blacksmith's  forceps."  Hamilton 
follows  a  safe  middle  course  and  anticipates  modern 
surgery  by  saying:  "for  my  part  I  knew  of  no  way 
of  curing  cancer  but  by  extirpation  or  cutting  it 
out." 

Although  a  doctor  among  doctors,  Hamilton  was 
more  interested  in  men  and  manners  than  in  medi- 
cine; and  a  special  merit  of  the  Itinerarium  is  the 
light  shed  upon  the  social  life  of  the  time  by  an  intel- 
ligent observer  admitted  to  the  best  society  of  the 
places  that  he  visited,  and  at  the  same  time  taking- 
note  of  the  life  of  the  plain  people  among  whom  he 
passed.  On  several  different  occasions  he  meets  a 
"Teague"— that  is,  a  wild  Irishman;  for  the  Teague 
of  the  eighteenth  century  is  the  Pat  of  the  nine- 
teenth. He  is  greatly  interested  in  the  Dutch  of 
Albany,  whom  he  found  a  "civil  and  hospitable  peo- 
ple in  their  way,  but  at  best  rustic  and  unpolished— 


XV 


their  whole  thoughts  being  turned  upon  profit  and 
gain,  which  necessarily  makes  them  live  retired  and 
frugal."  He  notes  that  the  clean  houses  of  the 
Dutch  co-exist  with  dirty  persons,  a  remark  the  con- 
verse of  which  he  applies  to  the  French,  one  of 
whom  is  a  fellow  lodger  in  Boston.  Of  negroes  he 
sees  little  and  says  little  except  to  notice  some  ex- 
periences of  his  Dromo ;  but  it  is  significant  that  in  a 
conversation  about  "a  certain  free  negro  in  Jamaica, 
who  was  a  man  of  estate,  good  sense,  and  educa- 
tion," somebody  "gravely  asked  if  that  negro's  par- 
ents were  not  whites,  for  he  was  sure  that  nothing 
good  could  come  of  the  whole  generation  of  blacks." 

The  Indians  especially  attracted  his  attention  and 
he  met  all  sorts  from  the  naked  wretches  fishing  for 
oysters  on  Long  Island  Sound,  to  "King  George," 
the  owner  of  20,000  or  30,000  acres  of  land  near 
Stonington.  "His  queen  goes  in  a  high  modish 
dress  in  her  silks,  hoops,  stays,  and  dresses  like  an 
Englishwoman.  .  .  .  He  educates  his  children  to 
the  belles  lettres  and  is  himself  a  very  complaisant, 
mannerly  man."  He  visits  the  Indian  town  near 
Albany  and  dines  at  Colonel  Schuyler's.  He  sees 
a  party  of  "French  Mohooks  on  horseback,  dressed 
d  la  mode  frangaise,  with  laced  hats,  full-trimmed 
coats,  and  ruffled  shirts."  His  most  interesting 
sketch  of  the  Indians  is  that  of  a  council  which  he 
witnessed  at  Boston,  in  which  Hendrick,  a  Mohawk 
chief,  tells  the  eastern  Indians,  "if  you  are  disobe- 
dient and  rebel  you  shall  die,  every  man,  woman, 
and  child  of  you,  and  that  by  our  hands.  We  will 
cut  you  off  from  the  earth,  as  an  ox  licketh  up  the 
grass." 

Social  life  immensely  interested  Hamilton  wher- 

xvi 


ever  he  went,  and  he  had  his  share  of  dinners,  teas, 
and  clubs.  An  unmarried  man,  travelHng  alone, 
living  in  lodgings,  and  taking  most  of  his  meals  at 
taverns  and  coffee-houses,  he  was  in  a  position  to 
see  the  seamy  side  of  both  high  life  and  low  life. 
The  tone  of  the  Itinerarium  is  that  of  a  somewhat 
severe  critic  of  his  countrymen.  Hamilton  has  a 
low  opinion  of  Maryland  and  seems  to  find  condi- 
tions not  much  better  elsewhere.  When  some  Penn- 
sylvanians  whom  he  met  upon  the  road  enlarged 
upon  the  "immorality,  drunkenness,  rudeness,  and 
immoderate  swearing,  so  much  practised  in  Mary- 
land, and  added  that  no  such  vices  were  to  be  found 
in  Pennsylvania,"  Hamilton  says,  "I  heard  this  and 
contradicted  it  not,  because  I  knew  that  the  first 
part  of  the  proposition  was  pretty  true ;"  and  when 
a  lady  in  Philadelphia  inveighed  against  the  Mary- 
land clergy,  he  made  but  a  lame  defence. 

Perhaps  there  is  a  certain  spirit  of  retaliation  in 
his  criticism  of  tjie  Pennsylvanians :  "They  have  in 
general  a  bad  notion  of  the  neighboring  Province, 
Maryland,  esteeming  the  people  a  set  of  cunning 
sharpers;  but  my  notion  of  the  af¥air  is,  that  the 
Pennsylvanians  are  not  a  whit  inferior  to  them  in 
the  science  of  chicane,  only  their  method  of  tricking 
.  is  different.  '  A  Pennsylvanian  will  tell  a  lie  with  a 
sanctified,  solemn  face;  a  Marylander  perhaps  will 
convey  his  fib  in  a  volley  of  oaths,  but  the  effect  and 
point  in  view  are  the  same,  tho'  the  manner  of  oper- 
ating be  different."  New  York  fares  no  better: 
"The  people  of  New  York  at  the  first  appearance  of 
a  stranger,  are  seemingly  civil  and  courteous,  but 
this  civility  and  complaisance  soon  relaxes  if  he  be 
not  either  highly  recommended  or  a  good  toper." 

xvii 


Boston  receives  a  like  drubbing.  "The  people  are 
generally  more  captivated  v^^ith  speculative  than  with 
practical  religion.  It  is  not  by  half  such  a  flagrant 
sin  to  cheat  and  cozen  one's  neighbor,  as  it  is  to 
ride  about  for  pleasure  on  the  sabbath  day,  or  to 
neglect  going  to  church  and  singing  of  psalms. 
The  middling  sort  of  people  here  are  to  a  degree 
disingenuous  and  dissembling,  which  appears  even 
in  their  common  conversation  in  which  their  indi- 
rect and  dubious  answers  to  the  plainest  and  fairest 
questions  show  their  suspicions  of  one  another.  The 
better  sort  are  polite,  mannerly,  and  hospitable  to 
strangers."  These  generalities  are  not  the  whole 
story ;  and  it  is  rather  whimsical  that  the  Yankee  re- 
serve and  unwillingness  to  commit  oneself  should 
pass  for  dissimulation. 

Nevertheless,  the  Itinerarium  contains  abundant 
evidence  of  the  crudity  of  much  of  the  Colonial  life. 
Here  he  sees  a  country  family  near  the  Delaware 
whose  "mess  was  in  a  dirty,  deep,  wooden  dish, 
which  they  evacuated  with  their  hands,  cramming 
down  skins,  scales,  and  all.  They  used  neither  knife, 
fork,  spoon,  plate,  or  napkin,  because  I  suppose,  they 
had  none  to  use."  There  he  observes  a  drunken 
club  breaking  off  and  riding  "helter-skelter,  as  if 
the  devil  had  possessed  them,  every  man  sitting  his 
horse  in  a  seesaw  manner  like  a  bunch  of  rags  tied 
upon  the  saddle."  In  New  York  he  animadverts  on 
the  habit  of  drinking  bumpers  of  such  potency  that 
three  of  them  sent  Hamilton  home  at  ten  o'clock 
"pretty  well  flushed." 

A  vice  which  Hamilton  sets  forth  in  numerous 
exactly  recorded  instances  was  that  of  cursing. 
Dromo  most  impolitely  adjures  a  Dutch  girl  who 

xviii 


knows  no  English.  A  Dutch  gentleman  indulges 
himself  in  a  special  "Dunder,  Sacramentum,  and 
Jesu  Christus."  A  seventy-five  year  old  sailor  freely 
"damns  his  old  shoes."  Even  the  ladies  occasion- 
ally rip  out  a  pretty  oath.  Of  coarser  forms  of  vice 
Hamilton  heard  much  and  saw  Httle,  though  he  vis- 
ited one  morning  in  Boston  a  chocolate  house,  where 
the  company  was  anything  but  select.  A  man  is 
likely  to  be  confidential  in  such  a  diary,  and  Ham- 
ilton stands  the  test  of  his  own  records.  The  Itine- 
rariuni  has  some  of  the  direct  and  plain-spoken  lan- 
guage familiar  at  the  time.  In  some  parts  there  is 
a  frankness  of  phrase  better  suited  to  a  private  jour- 
nal than  to  a  printed  book.  Although  the  work 
throughout  is  clean  and  wholesome  in  spirit,  a  few 
words  have  been  omitted  as  being  too  outspoken, 
and  undesirable  for  publication. 

At  a  time  when  there  were  no  house  clubs,  the 
natural  resort  of  men  in  search  of  relaxation  and 
company  was  the  tavern  or  the  coffee-house.  As  a 
traveller  Hamilton  had  a  large  experience  in  the 
1600  miles  of  his  journey,  and  he  found  every  sort 
of  accommodation.  In  general  he  had  a  better  bed, 
a  better  room,  and  a  better  meal  than  those  reported 
by  travellers  a  century  later  on  the  western  frontier 
or  in  the  south.  Occasionally  he  reports  unwel- 
come room-mates  who  talked  loudly  or  were  other- 
wise annoying ;  but  he  makes  few  complaints  of  the 
inns.  The  families  of  the  innkeepers  attracted  his 
attention,  for  he  pricked  up  his  ears  at  sight  of 
a  pretty  girl.  He  was  surprised  at  the  "comical 
names"  of  damsels  in  New  England— "Thankful, 
Patience,  Comfort,  Hope,  etc."  In  the  cities  he 
lived  by  preference  at  a  lodging  house,  stabling  his 

xix 


horses  at  some  tavern.  The  coffee-houses  were 
something  more  than  eating-houses  and  less  than  a 
club,  resembling  the  modern  hotel  restaurants  in 
which  a  knot  of  friends  habitually  take  lunch  to- 
gether. At  one  of  the  taverns  in  Philadelphia  he 
reports  that  he  "spent  the  night  agreeably  and  went 
home  sober  at  eleven." 

In  several  cities  Hamilton  was  made  free  of  social 
clubs  meeting  from  week  to  week.  In  the  Govern- 
our's  Club  at  Philadelphia,  where  he  was  intro- 
duced by  Dr.  Phineas  Bond,  he  met  many  interest- 
ing strangers  who  were  also  visiting  Philadelphia. 
"Several  toasts  were  drank,  among  which  were  some 
celebrated  ones  of  the  female  sex."  The  Governor 
of  the  Province  was  a  member.  The  Hungarian 
Club  of  New  York  seems  to  have  practised  less 
gravity  and  he  complains  that  its  principal  purpose 
was  to  drink  bumpers.  The  Physical  Club  in  Bos- 
ton, of  which  the  celebrated  Dr.  Douglass  was  presi- 
dent, seems  to  have  been  a  medical  society.  At  the 
Philosophical  Club  at  Newport,  Hamilton  was  dis- 
appointed to  find  that  the  chief  talk  was  of  privateer- 
ing and  the  building  of  vessels.  He  remarks  sev- 
eral times  on  the  music  he  heard,  which  appeared  to 
give  him  great  pleasure ;  and  he  enjoyed  attendance 
at  the  Music  Club  at  Philadelphia,  "where  I  heard 
a  tolerable  concerto  performed  by  a  harpsichord  and 
three  violins." 

Although  Hamilton  had  an  eye  for  the  maid  ser- 
vants, he  was  no  gallant  with  ladies.  In  Albany  a 
friend  "introduced  me  into  about  twenty  or  thirty 
houses,  where  I  went  thro'  the  farce  of  kissing  most 
of  the  women,  a  manner  of  salutation  which  is  ex- 
pected from  strangers  coming  there.    This  might 


XX 


almost  pass  for  a  penance,  for  the  generality  of  the 
women  here,  both  old  and  young,  are  remarkably 
ugly."  In  Philadelphia  and  New  York,  though  he 
dined  out  and  knew  some  good  families,  he  has  very 
little  to  say  of  the  ladies,  and  that,  for  the  most  part, 
critical.  In  Boston  he  found  a  countrywoman, 
Mrs.  Blackater,  whose  daughters  he  condescended 
to  think  good-looking. 

Ladies'  dress  Hamilton  hardly  noted,  though  he 
was  struck  at  Albany  by  the  traditional  Dutch  cos- 
tume :  "their  old  women  wear  a  comical  head-dress, 
large  pendants,  short  petticoats;"  and  he  records 
the  boast  of  a  fellow-traveller  that  "he  had  good 
linen  in  his  bags,  a  pair  of  silver  buckles,  silver 
clasps,  and  gold  sleeve  buttons,  two  Holland  shirts, 
and  some  neat  night-caps,  and  that  his  little  woman 
at  home  drank  tea  twice  a  day."  At  Huntington, 
Long  Island,  "there  came  in  a  band  of  politicians  in 
short  jackets  and  trousers,"  a  very  early  instance  of 
the  wearing  of  long  trousers  by  others  than  seamen. 
He  was  much  shocked  by  two  fellows  "with  long 
black  beards,  having  their  own  hair,  and  not  so 
much  as  half  a  night  cap  between  them."  It  appears 
that  the  "night  cap"  of  worsted  was  a  common  arti- 
cle of  wear,  and  that  linen  night  caps  were  "much 
wore  in  all  the  churches  and  meetings  of  America 
that  I  have  been  in,  unless  it  be  those  of  Boston, 
where  they  are  more  decent  and  polite  in  their 
dress ;"  and  Hamilton  seemed  pleased  by  the  predic- 
ament of  two  Philadelphians  who  came  to  dinner  in 
Boston  in  linen  night-caps. 

As  to  religion,  Hamilton,  a  Presbyterian  in  Scot- 
land and  apparently  a  Church  of  England  man  in 
Maryland,  was  eclectic.    He  goes  to  the  Congrega- 

xxi 


tional  services  in  New  England,  supposing  them  to 
be  Presbyterian.  He  visits  the  Synagogue  in  New 
York  and  the  Cathohc  Church  in  Philadelphia.  He 
consorts  with  Quakers  and  is  struck  by  their  "silent 
grace"  at  meals;  but  though  moderate  in  doctrine 
and  worship,  he  has  a  very  low  opinion  of  the  new 
sects.  The  Moravians  in  New  York  and  New 
Jersey  he  supposes  to  be  a  "wild  fanatic  sect." 
Whitefield  he  dislikes  intensely,  accusing  him  of  put- 
ting an  end  to  assemblies  in  Philadelphia,  and  of 
being  the  man  "who,  only  for  the  sake  of  private 
lucre  and  gain,  sowed  the  first  seeds  of  distraction 
in  these  unhapp}^  ignorant  parts."  He  is  amazed 
by  the  common  taste  in  New  England  for  "nice 
metaphysical  distinctions.  ...  'T  is  strange  to  see 
how  this  humour  prevails,  even  among  the  lower 
class  of  the  people  here.  They  will  talk  so  pointedly 
about  justification,  sanctification,  adoption,  regener- 
ation, repentance,  free  grace,  reprobation,  original 
sin,  and  a  thousand  other  such  pretty  chimerical 
knicknacks,  as  if  they  had  done  nothing  but  studied 
divinity  all  their  lifetime."  The  vials  of  Hamil- 
ton's wrath  are  especially  poured  out  on  the  "New 
Lights,"  among  whom  he  appears  to  place  all  the 
sects  except  the  half  dozen  old  denominations.  One 
of  these  gentlemen  replies  smartly  to  Hamilton's 
criticism  of  Whitefield,  and  "he  told  me  flatly  that  I 
was  damned  without  redemption." 

Science,  society,  and  religion  did  not  exhaust 
Hamilton's  interests.  From  day  to  day  he  was  on 
the  lookout  for  quaint  and  striking  phrases  and  for 
curious  incidents.  The  familiar  New  England  prov- 
erb, "The  devil  to  pay  and  no  pitch  hot,"  he  picks 
up  in  New  York.  To  an  inquisitive  fellow  who  asks 

xxii 


t 


him  where  he  came  from,  he  rephes  that  he  is  from 
''Calhphurnia,"  presumably  a  reference  to  the  old 
romance  from  which  the  name  California  was  taken. 
He  was  one  of  the  first  to  notice  that  the  low  tide 
in  Boston  Harbor  'left  a  very  stinking  puddle." 
He  notes  the  use  of  the  word  "guns,"  meaning  pis- 
tols, a  phrase  supposed  to  be  of  much  later  frontier 
origin.  He  makes  note  of  the  existence  of  a  "state 
room"  in  the  Castle  in  Boston  Harbor.  At  New- 
port he  goes  "to  a  windmill  near  the  town  to  look 
out  for  vessels,"  perhaps  the  so-called  Norse  Tower. 
Contrary  to  the  accepted  science  of  his  time,  he  has 
glimpses  of  the  Darwinian  theory  of  development: 
"The  progress  of  Nature  is  surprising  in  many  such 
instances.  She  seems  by  one  connected  gradation 
to  pass  from  one  species  of  creatures  to  another, 
without  any  visible  gap,  interval,  or  discontinuum  in 
her  works."  He  falls  in  with  a  "comical,  old,  whim- 
sical fellow,"  who  "talks  much  of  cutting  the  Amer- 
ican isthmus  in  two,  so  to  make  a  short  passage  to 
the  south  seas ;  and  if  the  powers  of  Europe  cannot 
agree  about  it,  he  says  he  knows  how  to  make  a 
machine  with  little  expense,  by  the  help  of  which 
ships  may  be  dragged  over  that  narrow  neck  of 
land  with  all  the  ease  imaginable,  it  being  but  a  trifle 
above  lOO  miles."  He  notices  the  New  England 
twang  of  a  horse  jockey,  who  would  not  sell  "the 
jade  for  loo  peaunds."  He  predicts  for  Philadel- 
phia "that  in  a  few  years  hence,  it  will  be  a  great 
and  flourishing  place,  and  the  chief  city  in  North 
America,"  a  prediction  which  half  a  century  later 
came  true. 

After  all,  these  are  the  accidental  parts  of  Ham- 
ilton's Itinerarium.    His  accounts  of  the  incidents 

xxiii 


of  the  journey,  the  roads,  bridges  or  rather  fords, 
and  ferries,  the  sea  voyage  from  New  York  to  Al- 
bany, the  brief  visits  to  Harvard  and  Yale  Colleges, 
these  must  be  read  to  be  appreciated.  The  most  im- 
portant and  freshest  part  of  the  work  is  the  racy 
account  of  life  in  the  large  American  cities,  espe- 
cially Philadelphia,  New  York,  Albany,  Boston, 
Salem,  Portsmouth,  Newport,  New  London,  and 
New  Haven.  His  conclusions  are  especially  val- 
uable because  there  are  few  contemporary  de- 
scriptions of  the  Colonies  between  1730  and  1745. 
If  Hamilton  had  not  the  ability  to  make  a  night 
of  it,  which  distinguishes  his  contemporary  Cap- 
tain Francis  Goelet,  nor  the  sprightliness  which 
makes  Madam  Knight's  account  of  her  journey 
from  Boston  to  New  York  in  1704  a  Colonial 
classic,  he  has  a  wide  range  of  experience,  large 
powers  of  observation,  great  opportunities  of  seeing 
the  world.  Quick  of  apprehension,  lively  in  style, 
sane  in  his  proportions  and  abounding  in  informa- 
tion, Hamilton  in  his  Itinerarium  has  made  posterity 
his  debtor ;  and  must  henceforth  be  reckoned  with  as 
one  of  the  best  sources  of  authority  on  the  social  life 
of  his  period. 

Cambridge,  Massachusetts, 
September  4,  1906. 


xxiv 


DR.  ALEXANDER  HAMILTON 


The  following-  letter  of  the  celebrated  Dr.  Upton 
Scott,  of  Annapolis,  Md.,  is  pasted  in  the  front  part 
of  the  original  minutes  of  the  proceedings  of  the 
Tuesday  Club,  now  in  the  possession  of  the  Mary- 
land Historical  Society,  Baltimore,  Md.  It  was 
written  to  a  member  of  the  Baltimore  Library  Com- 
pany, which  long  since  ceased  to  exist.  The  name 
of  the  person  to  whom  it  was  addressed  is  not 
divulged.  At  the  time  of  writing  this  letter  Dr. 
Scott  was  eighty-seven  years  old : 

Annapolis,  Md.,  28  August  18 op. 

My  Dear  Sir  :  In  consequence  of  the  desire  which  you  ex- 
pressed to  have  The  History  of  the  Tuesday  Club  displayed 
in  your  Library,  I  send  you  three  volumes  of  that  work,  as 
a  loan  at  your  command,  for  the  benefit  of  your  Library 
until  the  first  day  of  May  next.  As  the  third  volume  is  still 
in  sheets,  I  beg  you  will  get  it  bound  in  any  manner  you 
may  think  most  suitable,  when  the  expense  shall  be  reim- 
bursed on  my  being  informed  of  the  amount. 

The  merit  of  this  work  is  submitted  to  its  readers,  but  I 
cannot  be  silent  on  that  of  its  author,  Dr.  Alexander  Hamil- 
ton, an  eminent  and  learned  physician,  in  the  enjoyment  of 
whose  friendship  I  was  truly  happy  until  his  death.  He  was 
a  man  of  strict  honor  and  integrity,  of  a  friendly  benevolent 
disposition  and  a  most  cheerful  facetious  companion 
amongst  his  friends,  whom  he  never  failed  to  delight  with 
the  effusions  of  his  wit,  humor  and  drollery,  in  which  ac- 
quirements he  had  no  equal.  He  founded  the  Tuesday  Club, 


XXV 


of  which  he  might  be  considered  the  life  and  soul,  as  it  ex- 
pired with  him,  having  never  assembled  after  his  death. 
Altho'  his  jokes  are  occasionally  somewhat  indelicate,  and 
he  frequently  chants  the  pleasure  of  the  bowl,  no  man  ex- 
ceeded him  in  temperance  and  purity  of  morals.  You  will 
find  him  truly  depicted  by  himself  in  the  character  of 
Loquacious  Scribble,  Esq'r.  To  this  gentleman  I  brought  a 
letter  from  his  cousin  Dr.  R.  Hamilton,  Professor  of  Anat- 
omy and  Botany  in  the  University  of  Glasgow,  whose  lec- 
tures I  had  several  years  attended,  to  which  letter  on  my 
arrival  in  America  in  1753,  I  was  indebted  for  a  very  kind 
friendly  reception,  and  our  intimacy  gradually  increased 
without  the  least  interruption  during  his  life.  I  was  early 
invited  as  a  visitor  to  the  Tuesday  Club,  and  soon  afterwards 
elected  a  Long  Standing  member  thereof,  and  am  now,  I  be- 
lieve, the  only  survivor  of  that  Institution,  at  whose  merry 
meetings  I  often  in  my  younger  days,  found  much  amuse- 
ment. Many  years  after  Dr.  Hamilton's  death,  I  received 
this  work  as  a  present  from  his  widow,  who  was  a  lady 
highly  worthy  of  my  esteem  and  regard.  I  cannot  therefore 
obtain  my  own  consent  to  part  with  in  my  lifetime,— the 
property,  of  what  I  consider  as  a  sacred  relick,  or  memorial 
of  deceased  friends. 

With  very  sincere  regard,  I  am  your  friend  and  most 
obedient  servant, 

U.  Scott. 


"Dr.  Alexander  Hamilton  was  born  in  Scotland 
in  1 71 2.  He  came  to  America  and  settled  in  Annap- 
olis, Province  of  Maryland.  He  was  a  cousin  of 
Dr.  R.  Hamilton,  Professor  of  Anatomy  and  Bot- 
any in  the  University  of  Glasgow. 

He  organized  in  1745,  with  Jonas  Green,  Esq.,  the 
editor  of  the  Maryland  Gazette,  the  Tuesday  Club, 
of  Annapolis,  Md.,  of  which  he  was  the  Secretary 
and  Orator,  as  well  as  the  'life  and  soul,'  during 
its  ten  years  of  existence. 

xxvi 


He  was  the  preceptor  of  Dr.  Thomas  Bond,  of 
Calvert  County,  Md.,  who  projected,  incorporated 
and  organized  the  Pennsylvania  Hospital,  Phila- 
delphia, which  was  opened  in  1752. 

On  May  29,  1747,  he  married  Miss  Margaret 
Dulany,  daughter  of  the  Hon.  Daniel  Dulany,  of 
Annapolis,  Md.,  'a  well  accomplished  and  agreeable 
young  lady  with  a  handsome  fortune.' 

Dr.  Hamilton  was  a  member  of  the  Vestry  of 
St.  Ann's  Protestant  Episcopal  Church,  Annapolis, 
in  the  years  1749-51." 

On  Tuesday  last  (May  11)  in  the  morning,  died  at  his 
house,  in  this  city,  Alexander  Hamilton,  M.D.  aged  44  years. 
The  death  of  this  valuable  and  worthy  gentleman  is  uni- 
versally and  justly  lamented.  His  medical  abilities,  various 
knowledge,  strictness  of  integrity,  simplicity  of  manners, 
and  extensive  benevolence,  having  deservedly  gained  him 
the  respect  and  esteem  of  all  ranks  of  men.  No  man,  in 
his  sphere,  has  left  fewer  enemies  or  more  friends. — Mary- 
land Gazette,  Annapolis,  Thursday  May  13,  1756. 

"Dr.  Hamilton's  Will  was  dated  October  17, 
1754  and  probated  on  July  17,  1756.  Margaret 
Hamilton,  his  widow,  was  made  testatrix,  and  all 
the  estate  of  the  husband  was  left  to  her,  except 
that  should  there  be  born  a  posthumous  child,  then 
the  wife  was  to  receive  one-third  of  the  estate  and 
the  child  two-thirds.  The  witnesses  to  the  Will 
were  John  Gordon  and  H.  Cummings.  These  were 
the  only  items  of  the  Will,  which  has  been  described 
as  'a  model  of  brevity  and  directness.'  " 


xxvii 


I 


I 


ITINERARIUM 


DIE  MERCURII  TRIGESSIMO  MENSIS  MAII 
INCHOATUM  ANNO  MDCCXLIV 

Annapolis,  Wednesday,  May  ^oth.—l  set  out  from 
Annapolis  in  Maryland,  upon  Wednesday  the  30th 
of  May  at  eleven  o'clock  in  the  morning;  contrary 
winds  and  bad  weather  prevented  my  intended  pas- 
sage over  Chesapeak  Bay;  so  taking  the  Patapscoe 
road,  I  proposed  going  by  the  way  of  Bohemia  to 
Newtown  upon  Chester,  a  very  circumflex  course, 
but  as  the  journey  was  intended  only  for  health  and 
recreation,  I  was  indifferent  whether  I  took  the 
nearest  or  the  farthest  route,  having  likewise  a  de- 
sire to  see  that  part  of  the  country.  I  was  in  seem- 
ing bad  order  at  my  first  setting  out,  being  sus- 
picious that  one  of  my  horses  was  lame ;  but  he  per- 
formed well,  and  beyond  my  expectation.  I  trav- 
elled but  twenty-six  miles  this  day;  there  was  a 
cloudy  sky,  and  an  appearance  of  rain.    Some  miles 

from  town  I  met  Mr.  H  1^  going  to  Annapolis. 

He  returned  with  me  to  his  own  house,  where  I  was 
well  entertained  and  had  one  night's  lodging  and  a 
country  dinner. 

Mr.  H  1,^  a  gentleman  of  Barbadoes,  with 

whom  I  expected  to  have  the  pleasure  of  travelling 
a  good  part  of  my  intended  journey,  had  left  An- 

1  Hart ;  revisited  by  Hamilton  on  his  return  journey. 

2  This  gentleman,  who  is  mentioned  a  number  of  times  in  the  narrative, 
is  probably  Samuel  Hasell,  who  was  born  in  Barbados  in  1691,  came  to 
Philadelphia  in  1715,  was  mayor  of  the  city  in  1731,  1732  and  1740,  and 
died  there  June  13,  1751. 

I 


napoHs  a  week  or  ten  days  before  me,  and  had  ap- 
pointed to  meet  me  at  Philadelphia.  He  went  to 
Bohemia  by  water,  and  then  took  chaise  over  land 
to  Newcastle  and  Wilmington,  being  forbid  for  cer- 
tain physical  reasons  to  travel  on  horseback.  This 
was  a  polite  and  facetious  gentleman,  and  I  was 
sorry  that  his  tedious  stay  in  some  places  put  it  out 
my  power  to  tarry  for  him;  so  I  was  deprived  of 
his  conversation  the  far  greatest  part  of  the  journey 

Mr.  H  1  and  I,  after  dinner,  drank  some 

punch,  and  conversed  like  a  couple  of  virtuosos. 
His  wife  had  no  share  in  the  conversation;  he  is 
blessed  indeed  with  a  silent  woman;  but  her  mute- 
ness is  owing  to  a  defect  in  her  hearing,  that  with- 
out bawling  out  to  her  she  cannot  understand  what 
is  spoken,  and  therefore  not  knowing  how  to  make 
pertinent  replies,  she  chuses  to  hold  her  tongue. 
It  is  well  I  have  thus  accounted  for  it,  else  such  a 
character  in  the  sex  would  appear  quite  out  of 
nature.  At  night  I  writ  to  Annapolis,  and  re- 
tired to  bed  at  ten  o'clock. 

Thursday,  May  ^ist.—l  got  up  betimes  this  morn- 
ing, pour  prendre  le  frais,  as  the  French  term  it,  and 
found  it  heavy  and  cloudy,  portending  rain.  At 

nine  o'clock  I  took  my  leave  of  Mr.  H  1,  his  wife 

and  sister,  and  took  horse. 

A  little  before  I  reached  Patapscoe  ferry,  I  was 
overtaken  by  a  certain  captain  of  a  tobacco  ship, 
whose  name  I  know  not,  nor  did  I  inquire  concern- 
ing it,  lest  he  should  think  me  impertinent. 

Patapscoe  Ferry 
We  crossed  the  ferry  together  at  ten  o'clock.  He 

2 


J  tijrwra/riiwly 

^Jnn*        M1>CC  Xj^iV 


J^,  ffu*9  ^t*t  dji^MLa^(MujL^  trj^  /Uu^^  f^rtUL.  Oticict ^^rn~tif=M^ 


talked  inveterately  against  the  clergy,  and  particu- 
larly the  Maryland  clerks  of  the  holy  cloth;  but  I 
soon  found  that  he  was  a  prejudiced  person,  for  it 
seems  he  had  been  lately  cheated  by  one  of  our 
parsons. 

Baltimore  Town— Gunpowder  Ferry— Joppa 

This  man  accompanied  me  to  Baltimore  Town,^ 
and  after  I  parted  with  him  I  had  a  solitary  jour- 
ney till  I  came  within  three  miles  of  Gunpowder 
Ferry,  where  I  met  one  Matthew  Baker,  a  horse- 
jockey. 

Crossing  the  ferry  I  came  to  Joppa,  a  village 
pleasantly  situated,  and  lying  close  upon  the  river; 
there  I  called  at  one  Brown's,  who  keeps  a  good 
tavern  in  a  large  brick  house.  The  landlord  was 
ill  with  intermitting  fevers,  and  understanding  from 
some  one  there  who  knew  me,  that  I  professed 
physick,  he  asked  my  advice,  which  I  gave  him. 

Here  I  encountered  Mr.  D  n,  the  minister  of 

the  parish,  who  (after  we  had  despatched  a  bowl  of 
sangaree)  carried  me  to  his  house.  There  passed 
between  him,  his  wife,  and  me  some  odd  rambling 
conversation,  which  turned  chiefly  upon  politicks. 
I  heard  him  read  with  great  patience  some  letters 
from  his  correspondents  in  England,  written  in  a 
gazette  style,  which  seemed  to  be  an  abridgement 
of  the  political  history  of  the  times  and  a  dissection 
of  the  machinations  of  the  French,  in  their  late  de- 
signs upon  Great  Britain.  This  reverend  gentleman 
and  his  wife  seemed  to  express  their  indignation, 
with  some  zeal,  against  certain  of  our  St — sm — n^ 

1  Baltimore  Towne  and  Jones  Towne  were  incorporated  September  28 
1 745  ;  subsequently  both  were  comprised  in  the  city  of  Baltimore. 
^  Statesmen. 


3 


and  C  rs*  at  Annapolis,  who  it  seems  had  op- 
posed the  interest  of  the  clergy  by  attempting  to  re- 
duce the  number  of  the  Taxables.  This  brought 
the  proverb  in  my  mind,  The  shirt  is  nearest  the 
skin.  Touch  a  man  in  his  private  interest,  and  you 
immediately  procure  his  ill  will. 

Leaving  Joppa  I  fell  in  company  with  one  Cap- 
tain Waters  and  with  Mr.  D  gs,  a  virtuoso  in 

botany.  He  affected  some  knowledge  in  Natural 
Philosophy,  but  his  learning  that  way  was  but  super- 
ficial. 

Description  of  the  Gensing 

He  showed  me  a  print  or  figure  of  the  Gensing,^ 
which  he  told  me  was  to  be  found  in  the  rich  bot- 
toms near  Susquehanna.  The  plant  is  of  one  stem 
or  stalk,  and  jointed.  From  each  joint  issues  four 
small  branches,  at  the  extremity  of  each  of  these 
is  a  cinquefoil,  or  five  leaves,  somewhat  oblong, 
notched  and  veined.  Upon  the  top  of  the  stem  it 
bears  a  bunch  of  red  berries,  but  I  could  not  learn 
if  it  had  any  apparent  flower,  the  colour  of  that 
flower,  or  at  what  season  of  the  year  it  blossomed 
or  bore  fruit.  I  intended,  however,  to  look  for  it 
upon  the  branches  of  Susquehanna,  not  that  I  im- 
agined it  of  any  singular  virtue,  for  I  think  it  has 
really  no  more  than  what  may  be  in  the  common 
liquorice  root,  mixed  with  an  aromatick,  or  spicy 
drug,  but  I  had  a  curiosity  to  see  a  thing  which  has 
been  so  famous. 

After  parting  with  this  company,  I  put  up  at  one 
Tradaway's,  about  ten  miles  from  Joppa.    The  road 

1  Councillors.       2  Commonly  called  ginseng. 


4 


here  is  pretty  hilly,  stony,  and  full  of  a  small  gravel. 
I  observed  some  stone,  which  I  thought  looked  like 
limestone. 

Just  as  I  dismounted  at  Tradaway's,  I  found  a 
drunken  Club  dismissing.  Most  of  them  had  got 
upon  their  horses,  and  were  seated  in  an  oblique  situ- 
ation, deviating  much  from  a  perpendicular  to  the 
horizontal  plane,  a  posture  quite  necessary  for  keep- 
ing the  center  of  gravity  within  its  proper  base,  for 
the  support  of  the  superstructure;  hence  we  deduce 
the  true  physical  reason  why  our  heads  overloaded 
with  liquor  become  too  ponderous  for  our  heels. 
Their  discourse  was  as  oblique  as  their  position :  the 
only  thing  intelligible  in  it  was  oaths  and  God- 
damnes;  the  rest  was  an  inarticulate  sound  like 
Rabelais'  frozen  words  a-thawing,  interlaced  with 
hickupings  and  belchings.  I  was  uneasy  till  they 
were  gone,  and  my  landlord,  seeing  me  stare,  made 
that  trite  apology, — That  indeed  he  did  not  care  to 
have  such  disorderly  fellows  come  about  his  house ; 
he  was  always  noted  far  and  near  for  keeping  a 
quiet  house  and  entertaining  only  gentlemen  or  such 
like ;  but  these  were  country  people,  his  neighbours, 
and  it  was  not  prudent  to  disoblige  them  upon 
slight  occasions.  "Alas,  sir!"  added  he,  "we  that 
entertain  travellers  must  strive  to  oblige  everybody, 
for  it  is  our  daily  bread."  While  he  spoke  thus  our 
Bacchanalians  finding  no  more  rum  in  play,  rid  off 
helter-skelter,  as  if  the  devil  had  possessed  them, 
every  man  sitting  his  horse  in  a  seesaw  manner  like 
a  bunch  of  rags  tied  upon  the  saddle.  I  found 
nothing  particular  or  worth  notice  in  my  landlord's 
character  or  conversation,  only  as  to  his  bodily 
make.    He  was  a  fat  pursy  man,  and  had  large 


5 


bubbles  like  a  woman.  I  supped  upon  fried  chick- 
ens and  bacon,  and  after  supper  the  conversation 
turned  upon  poHticks,  news,  and  the  dreaded  French 
war;  but  it  was  so  very  lumpish  and  heavy  that  it 
disposed  me  mightily  to  sleep.  This  learned  com- 
pany consisted  of  the  landlord,  his  overseer  and 
miller,  and  another  greasy-thumbed  fellow,  who,  as 
I  understood,  professed  physick,  and  particularly 
surgery  in  the  drawing  of  teeth. 

He  practised  upon  the  housemaid,  a  dirty  piece 
of  lumber,  who  made  such  screaming  and  squawling 
as  made  me  imagine  there  was  murder  going  for- 
wards in  the  house.  However,  the  artist  got  the 
tooth  out  at  last,  with  a  great  clumsy  pair  of  black- 
smith's forceps;  and  indeed  it  seemed  to  require 
such  an  instrument,  for  when  he  showed  it  to  us  it 
resembled  a  horsenail  more  than  a  tooth. 

The  miller  I  found  professed  musick,  and  would 
have  tuned  his  crowd^  to  us,  but  unfortunately  the 
two  middle  strings  betwixt  the  bass  and  treble  were 
broke.  This  man  told  us  that  he  could  play  by  the 
book. 

After  having  had  my  fill  of  this  elegant  company, 
I  went  to  bed  at  ten  o'clock. 

Friday,  June  ist.—Tht  sun  rose  in  a  clear  horizon, 
and  the  air  in  these  highlands  was  for  two  hours  in 
the  morning  very  cool  and  refreshing.  I  break- 
fasted upon  some  dirty  chocolate,  but  the  best  that 
the  house  could  afford,  and  took  horse  about  half  an 
hour  after  six  in  the  morning.  For  the  first  thir- 
teen miles  the  road  seemed  gravelly  and  hilly,  and 
the  land  but  indifferent. 

1  The  earliest  known  stringed  instrument  to  be  played  with  a  bow. 

6 


Susquehanna  Ferry 


When  I  came  near  Susquehanna  Ferry  I  looked 
narrowly  in  the  bottoms  for  the  gensing,  but  could 
not  discover  it.  The  lower  ferry  of  Susquehanna, 
which  I  crossed,  is  above  a  mile  broad.  It  is  kept 
by  a  little  old  man,  whom  I  found  at  vittles  with  his 
wife  and  family  upon  a  homely  dish  of  fish,  without 
any  kind  of  sauce.  They  desired  me  to  eat,  but  I 
told  them  I  had  no  stomach.  They  had  no  cloth 
upon  the  table,  and  their  mess  was  in  a  dirty,  deep, 
wooden  dish,  which  they  evacuated  with  their  hands, 
cramming  down  skins,  scales,  and  all.  They  used 
neither  knife,  fork,  spoon,  plate,  or  napkin,  because, 
I  suppose,  they  had  none  to  use.  I  looked  upon  this 
as  a  picture  of  that  primitive  simplicity  practised 
by  our  forefathers,  long  before  the  mechanic  arts 
had  supplied  them  with  instruments  for  the  luxury 
and  elegance  of  life.  I  drank  some  of  their  cider, 
which  was  very  good,  and  crossed  the  ferry  in 
company  with  a  certain  Scots-Irishman,  by  name 
Thomas  Quiet.  The  land  about  Susquehanna  is 
pretty  high  and  woody,  and  the  channel  of  the  river 
rocky. 

Mr.  Quiet  rid  a  little  scrub  bay  mare,  which  he 
said  was  sick  and  ailing,  and  could  not  carry  him, 
and  therefore  he  lighted  every  half  mile  and  ran  a 
couple  of  miles  at  a  footman's  pace,  to  "spell  the 
poor  beast"  (as  he  termed  it).  He  informed  me  he 
lived  at  Monocosy,  and  had  been  out  three  weeks  in 
quest  of  his  creatures  (horses),  four  of  which  had 
strayed  from  his  plantation.  I  condoled  his  loss, 
and  asked  him  what  his  mare's  distemper  was,  re- 
solving to  prescribe  for  her,  but  all  that  I  could  get 


7 


out  of  him  was  that  the  poor  silly  beast  had  choaked 
herself  in  eating  her  oats;  so  I  told  him  that  if  she 
was  choaked  she  was  past  my  art  to  recover.  This 
fellow  I  observed  had  a  particular  down-hanging 
look,  which  made  me  suspect  he  was  one  of  our 
New-light  bigots. 

I  guessed  right,  for  he  introduced  a  discourse 
concerning  Whitefield,*  and  enlarged  pretty  much 
and  with  some  warmth  upon  the  doctrines  of  that 
apostle,  speaking  much  in  his  praise.  I  took  upon 
me,  in  a  ludicrous  manner,  to  impugn  some  of  his 
doctrines,  which  by  degrees  put  Mr.  Quiet  in  a  pas- 
sion. He  told  me  flatly  that  I  was  damned  without 
redemption.  I  replied  that  I  thought  his  name  and 
behaviour  were  very  incongruous,  and  desired  him 
to  change  it  with  all  speed,  for  it  was  very  improper 
that  such  an  angry  turbulent  mortal  as  he  should  be 
called  by  the  name  of  Thomas  Quiet. 

Principio  Iron  Works 

In  the  height  of  this  fool's  passion,  I  overtook  one 

Mr.  B  r,  a  proprietor  in  the  iron  works  there, 

and,  after  mutual  salutation,  the  topic  of  discourse 
turned  from  religious  controversy  to  politicks;  so 
putting  on  a  little  faster  we  left  this  inflamed  bigot 
and  his  sick  mare  behind.  This  gentleman  accom- 
panied me  to  Northeast,  and  gave  me  directions  as 
to  the  road. 

I  crossed  Elk  Ferry  at  three  in  the  afternoon. 
One  of  the  ferry-men,  a  young  fellow,  plied  his 

1  Rev.  John  \Vhitefield,  bom  1714111  England;  became  the  associate  of 
John  and  Charles  Wesley;  made  seven  visits  to  America,  beginning  in 
1738,  and  died  at  Newburyport,  Massachusetts,  September  30,  1770. 

8 


tongue  much  faster  than  his  oar.  He  characterized 
some  of  the  chief  dwellers  in  the  neighbourhood, 
particularly  some  young  merchants,  my  country- 
men, for  whom  he  had  had  the  honour  to  stand  pimp 
in  their  amours.  He  let  me  know  that  he  under- 
stood some  scraps  of  Latin,  and  repeated  a  few  hex- 
ameter lines  out  of  Lilly's  Grammar.  He  told  me 
of  a  clever  fellow  of  his  name,  who  had  composed  a 
book,  for  which  he  would  give  all  the  money  he  was 
master  of  to  have  the  pleasure  of  reading  it.  I 
asked  him  who  this  namesake  of  his  was.  He  re- 
plied that  it  was  one  Terence;  and  to  be  sure  he 
must  have  been  an  arch  dog,  for  he  never  knew  one 
of  the  name  but  he  was  remarkable  for  his  parts. 


Bohemia 

Thus  entertained  I  got  over  the  ferry,  and  rid  to 
Bohemia,^  and,  calling  at  the  manor-house  there,  I 
found  nobody  at  home. 

I  met  here  a  reverend  parson,  who  was  somewhat 
inquisitive  as  to  where  I  came  from,  and  the  news, 
but  I  was  not  very  communicative.  I  understood 
afterwards  it  was  parson  W  e. 


Bohemia  Ferry 

I  crossed  Bohemia  Ferry,  and  lodged  at  the  ferry 
house.  The  landlord's  name  I  cannot  remember, 
but  he  seemed  to  be  a  man  of  tolerable  parts  for  one 

1  Bohemia  Manor  is  situated  at  the  junction  of  the  Elk  and  Bohemia 
Rivers. 

9 


in  his  station.  Our  conversation  ran  chiefly  upon 
religion.  He  gave  me  a  short  account  of  the  spirit 
of  enthusiasm  that  had  lately  possessed  the  inhab- 
itants of  the  forests  there,  and  informed  me  that  it 
had  been  a  common  practice  for  companies  of  twenty 
or  thirty  hair-brained  fanaticks  to  ride  thro'  the 
woods  singing  of  psalms. 

I  went  to  bed  at  nine  at  night;  my  landlord,  his 
wife,  daughters,  and  I  lay  all  in  one  room. 

Saturday,  June  2d. — In  the  morning  there  was  a 
clear  sky  overhead,  but  a  foggy  horizon,  and  the 
wind  at  south,  which  presaging  heat  I  set  out  very 
early. 


Sassafrax  Ferry 

I  TOOK  the  road  to  Newtown  upon  Chester  Ferry, 
and  crossed  Sassafrax  Ferry  at  seven  o'clock  in  the 
morning,  where  I  found  a  great  concourse  of  people, 
at  a  fair.  The  roads  here  are  exceeding  good  and 
even,  but  dusty  in  the  summer,  and  deep  in  the  win- 
ter season.  The  day  proved  very  hot.  I  encoun- 
tered no  company,  and  I  went  three  or  four  miles 
out  of  my  way. 

Newtown 

I  REACHED  Newtown  at  twelve  o'clock,  and  put  up 
at  Dougherty's,  a  publick  house  there.  I  was  scarce 
arrived,  when  I  met  several  of  my  acquaintance.  I 
dined  with  Dr.  Anderson,  and  spent  the  rest  of  the 


10 


day  in  a  sauntering  manner.  The  Northern  post 
arrived  at  night.  I  read  the  papers,  but  found  noth- 
ing of  consequence  in  them,  so  after  some  comical 
chat  with  my  landlord,  I  went  to  bed  at  eleven 
o'clock  at  night. 

Sunday,  June  ^d. — I  stayed  all  this  day  at  New- 
town, and  breakfasted  with  Th.  Clay,  where  I  met 
with  one  W  b,  a  man  of  the  law,— to  appear- 
ance a  civil,  good-natured  man,  but  set  up  for  a 
kind  of  connoisseur  in  many  things.  I  went  to 
visit  some  friends,  and  dined  at  the  tavern,  where  I 
was  entertained  by  the  tricks  of  a  female  baboon 
in  the  yard.  This  lady  had  more  attendants  and 
hangers-on  at  her  levee  than  the  best  person  (of 
quality  as  I  may  say)  in  town.  She  was  very  fond 
of  the  compliments  and  company  of  the  men  and 
boys,  but  expressed  in  her  gestures  an  utter  aver- 
sion at  women  and  girls,  especially  negroes  of  that 
sex,— the  lady  herself  being  of  a  black  complexion, 
yet  she  did  not  at  all  affect  her  country  women. 

At  night  I  was  treated  by  Captain  Binning,*  of 
Boston,  with  a  bowl  of  lemon  punch.  He  gave  me 
letters  for  his  relations  at  Boston.  While  we  put 
about  the  bowl  a  deal  of  comical  discourse  passed, 
in  which  the  landlord,  a  man  of  a  particular  talent 
at  telling  comic  stories,  bore  the  chief  part. 

Monday,  June  4th. — The  morning  being  clear  and 
somewhat  cool,  I  got  up  before  five  o'clock,  and 
soon  mounted  horse.  I  had  a  solitary  route  to  Bo- 
hemia, and  went  very  much  out  of  my  way,  by  being 
too  particular  and  nice  in  observing  directions. 

1  Probably  Captain  John  Binney,  of  Boston  ;  died  1 758. 
II 


Sassafrax  and  Bohemia  Ferries 


I  reached  Mr.  Alexander's  house  on  the  manor  at 
twelve  o'clock.  There  I  stayed  and  dined  and  drank 
tea  with  Miss  C  ey/  After  some  talk  and  laugh- 
ter I  took  my  leave  at  five  o'clock,  designing  12 
miles  farther,  to  one  Vanbibber's,  that  keeps  a  house 
upon  the  Newcastle  road ;  but  instead  of  going  there 
I  went  out  of  my  way,  and  lay  at  one  Hollings- 
worth's  at  the  head  of  Elk. 


Head  of  Elk 

There  is  a  great  marsh  upon  the  left  hand  of  his 
house,  which  I  passed  in  the  night,  thro'  the  middle 
of  which  runs  Elk.  The  multitude  of  fireflies  glit- 
tering in  the  dark  upon  the  surface  of  this  marsh 
makes  it  appear  like  a  great  plain  scattered  over 
with  spangles. 

In  this  part  of  the  country,  I  found  they  chiefly 
cultivated  British  grain,— as  wheat,  barley  and  oats. 
They  raise,  too,  a  great  deal  of  flax,  and,  in  every 
house  here,  the  women  have  two  or  three  spinning- 
wheels  a-going.  The  roads  up  this  way  are  toler- 
ably level,  but  in  some  places  stony.  After  a  light 
supper  I  went  to  bed  at  ten  o'clock. 

Pennsylvania— Newcastle 

Tuesday,  June  ^th.—l  took  horse  a  little  after  five 
in  the  morning,  and  after  a  solitary  ride  thro'  stony, 

1  Miss  Coursey ;  revisited  on  Hamilton's  return  journey. 
12 


unequal  road,  where  the  country  people  stared  at 
me  like  sheep  when  I  inquired  of  them  the  way,  I  ar- 
rived at  Newcastle,  upon  Delaware,  at  nine  o'clock 
in  ye  morning  and  baited  my  horses  at  one  Curtis's, 
at  the  sign  of  the  Indian  King,  a  good  house  of 
entertainment. 

This  town  stands  upon  stony  ground,  just  upon 
the  water,  there  being  from  thence  a  large  prospect 
eastward,  towards  the  Bay  of  Delaware  and  the 
Province  of  the  Jerseys.  The  houses  are  chiefly 
brick,  built  after  the  Dutch  model,  the  town  having 
been  originally  founded  and  inhabited  by  the  Dutch, 
when  it  belonged  to  New  York  government.  It 
consists  chiefly  of  one  great  street,  which  makes  an 
elbow  at  right  angles.  A  great  many  of  the  houses 
are  old  and  crazy.  There  are  in  the  town  two  pub- 
lic buildings;  viz.,  a  court-house  and  church. 

At  Curtis's  I  met  company  going  to  Philadelphia, 
and  was  pleased  at  it,  being  myself  an  utter  stranger 
to  the  roads.  This  company  consisted  of  three 
men, — Thomas  Howard,  Timothy  Smith,  and  Wil- 
liam Morison.  I  treated  them  with  some  lemon 
punch,  and  desired  the  favour  of  their  company. 
They  readily  granted  my  request,  and  stayed  some 
time  for  me,  till  I  had  eat  breakfast. 

Smith,  in  his  coat  and  hat,  had  the  appearance  of 
a  Quaker,  but  his  discourse  was  purged  of  thee's 
and  thou's,  tho'  his  delivery  seemed  to  be  solemn 
and  slow-paced. 

Howard  was  a  talkative  man,  abounding  with 
words  and  profuse  in  compliments,  which  were  gen- 
erally blunt,  and  came  out  in  an  awkward  manner. 
He  bestowed  much  panegyrick  upon  his  own  be- 
haviour and  conduct. 


13 


Morison  (who,  I  understood,  had  been  at  the 
Land  Office  in  Annapolis,  inquiring  about  a  title  he 
had  to  some  land  in  Maryland)  was  a  very  rough- 
spun,  forward,  clownish  blade,  much  addicted  to 
swearing,  at  the  same  time  desirous  to  pass  for  a 
gentleman,  notwithstanding  which  ambition,  the 
conscientiousness  of  his  natural  boorishness  obliged 
him  frequently  to  frame  ill-timed  apologies  for  his 
misbehaviour,  which  he  termed  frankness  and  free- 
ness.  It  was  often,— "Damn  me,  gentlemen,  ex- 
cuse me;  I  am  a  plain,  honest  fellow;  all  is  right 
down  plain-dealing,  by  God."  He  was  much  af- 
fronted with  the  landlady  at  Curtis's,  who,  seeing 
him  in  a  greasy  jacket  and  breeches,  and  a  dirty 
worsted  cap,  and  withal  a  heavy,  forward,  clownish 
air  and  behaviour,  I  suppose  took  him  for  some 
ploughman  or  carman,  and  so  presented  him  with 
some  scraps  of  cold  veal  for  breakfast,  he  having 
declared  that  he  could  not  drink  "your  damned 
washy  tea."  As  soon  as  he  saw  his  mess,  he  swore, 
—  "Damn  him,  if  it  wa'n't  out  of  respect  to  the  gen- 
tleman in  company"  (meaning  me)  "he  would  throw 
her  cold  scraps  out  at  the  window  and  break  her 
table  all  to  pieces,  should  it  cost  him  loo  pounds  for 
damages."  Then,  taking  off  his  worsted  nightcap, 
he  pulled  a  linen  one  out  of  his  pocket,  and  clapping 
it  upon  his  head,  — "Now,"  says  he,  "I 'm  upon  the 
borders  of  Pennsylvania  and  must  look  like  a  gen- 
tleman; t'  other  was  good  enough  for  Maryland, 
and  damn  my  blood,  if  ever  I  come  into  that  rascally 
Province  again  if  I  don't  procure  a  leather  jacket, 
that  I  may  be  in  a  trim  to  box  the  saucy  Jacks  there 
and  not  run  the  hazard  of  tearing  my  coat."  This 
showed,  by  the  bye,  that  he  paid  more  regard  to  his 


14 


coat  than  his  person,  a  remarkable  instance  of  mod- 
esty and  self-denyal.    He  then  made  a  transition  to 

poHticks,  and  damned  the  late  Sir  R  W  * 

for  a  rascal. 

We  asked  him  his  reasons  for  cursing  Sir  R  , 

but  he  would  give  us  no  other  but  this, — that  he  was 
certainly  informed  by  some  very  good  gentlemen 
who  understood  the  thing  right  well,  that  the  said 
Sir  R  was  a  damned  rogue,  and  at  the  conclu- 
sion of  each  rodomontade  he  told  us  that  tho'  he 
seemed  to  be  but  a  plain,  homely  fellow,  yet  he 
would  have  us  know  that  he  was  able  to  afford 
better  than  many  that  went  finer ;  he  had  good  linen 
in  his  bags,  a  pair  of  silver  buckles,  silver  clasps, 
and  gold  sleeve  buttons,  two  Holland  shirts  and 
some  neat  nightcaps,  and  that  his  little  woman  at 
home  drank  tea  twice  a  day,  and  he  himself  lived 
very  well  and  expected  to  live  better  so  soon  as  that 

old  rogue  B  1  died,  and  he  could  secure  a  title 

to  his  land. 

The  chief  topic  of  conversation  among  these  three 
Pennsylvanian  dons  upon  the  road,  was  the  insig- 
nificancy of  the  neighbouring  Province  of  Mary- 
land when  compared  to  that  of  Pennsylvania.  They 
laid  out  all  the  advantages  of  the  latter  which  their 
bungling  judgment  could  suggest,  and  displayed 
all  the  imperfections  and  disadvantages  of  the  first. 

They  enlarged  upon  the  immorality,  drunkenness, 
rudeness,  and  immoderate  swearing,  so  much  prac- 
tised in  Maryland,  and  added  that  no  such  vices 
were  to  be  found  in  Pennsylvania.  I  heard  this  and 
contradicted  it  not,  because  I  knew  that  the  first 
part  of  the  proposition  was  pretty  true. 

'  Sir  Robert  Walpole,  prime  minister  of  England. 


15 


They  next  fell  upon  the  goodness  of  the  soil,  as 
far  more  productive  of  pasturage  and  grain.  I 
was  silent  here  likewise,  because  the  first  proposi- 
tion was  true,  but  as  to  the  other  relating  to  grain 
I  doubted  the  truth  of  it;  but  what  appeared  most 
comical  in  their  criticisms  was  their  making  a  merit 
of  the  stoniness  of  the  roads.  "One  may  ride," 
says  Howard,  "fifty  miles  in  Maryland  and  not  see 
as  many  stones  upon  the  roads  as  in  fifty  paces  of 
road  in  Pennsylvania."  This  I  knew  to  be  false, 
but  as  I  thought  there  was  no  advantage  in  stony 
roads,  I  even  let  them  take  the  honour  of  it  to  them- 
selves, and  did  not  contradict  them. 

At  Newcastle,  I  heard  news  of  Mr.  H  1,^  my 

intended  fellow  traveller.  They  told  me  he  was  at 
Wilmington  upon  Cristin  River. 

Cristin  Ferry— Wilmington  —  Brandywine 

We  crossed  that  ferry  at  twelve  o'clock,  and  saw 
Wilmington  about  a  mile  to  the  left  hand.  It  is 
about  the  largeness  of  Annapolis,  but  seemingly 
more  compactly  built ;  the  houses  all  brick.  We  rid 
seven  miles  farther  to  one  Foord's,  passing  over  a 
toll  bridge  in  bad  repair,  at  a  place  called  Brandy- 
wine.  At  Foord's  we  dined  and  baited  our  horses. 
There  one  Usher,  a  clergyman,  joined  our  company, 
a  man  seemingly  of  good  natural  parts  and  civil  be- 
haviour, but  not  overlearned  for  the  cloth.  While 
dinner  was  getting  ready  a  certain  Philadelphian 
merchant  called  on  Mr.  Howard  and  with  him  we 
had  a  dish  of  swearing  and  loud  talking. 

^  Samuel  Hasell.     (See  previous  note.) 

i6 


After  dinner  we  fell  upon  politicks,  and  the  ex- 
pected French  war  naturally  came  in,  whence  arose 
a  learned  dispute  in  company,  which  was  about  set- 
tling the  meaning  of  the  two  words  declaration  and 
proclamation.  Mr.  Smith  asserted  that  a  procla- 
mation of  war  was  an  improper  phrase,  and  that  it 
ought  to  be  a  declaration  of  war;  and  on  the  other 
hand  a  proclamation  of  peace.  Mr.  Morrison  af- 
firmed with  a  bloody  oath  that  there  might  be  such 
a  thing  as  a  proclamation  of  a  declaration,  and  swore 
heartily  that  he  knew  it  to  be  true  both  by  experience 
and  hearsay.  They  grew  very  loud  upon  it  as  they 
put  about  the  bowl,  and  I  retired  into  a  corner  of 
the  room  to  laugh  a  little,  handkerchief  fashion, 
pretending  to  be  busied  in  blowing  my  nose;  so  I 
slurred  a  laugh  with  nose-blowing  .... 

At  last  the  parson  determined  all  by  a  learned 
definition,  to  this  purpose,  that  a  proclamation 
was  a  publication  of  anything  by  authority  and  a 
declaration  only  a  simple  declaring  of  anything 
without  any  authority  at  all,  but  the  bare  assertion 
of  a  certain  fact,  as  if  I  should  declare  that  such  a 
one  was  drunk  at  such  a  time,  or  that  such  a  person 
swore  so  and  so. 

This  dispute  ended,  we  took  our  horses  and  rid 
moderately,  it  being  excessive  hot.  I  observed  the 
common  style  of  salutation  upon  the  road  here  was 
How  d'ye?  and  How  is'tf 

The  people  all  along  the  road  were  making  of  hay, 
which  being  green  and  piled  up  in  rucks,  cast  a  very 
sweet  and  agreeable  smell.  There  are  here  as  fine 
meadows  and  pasture  grounds  as  any  ever  I  saw  in 
England.  The  country  here  is  not  hilly,  nor  are  the 
woods  very  tall  or  thick.    The  people  in  general  f  ol- 


17 


low  farming  and  have  very  neat  brick  dwelling- 
houses  upon  their  farms. 

Chester 

We  passed  thro'  Chester  at  seven  o'clock  at  night, 
where  we  left  Morison,  Smith,  and  Howard;  and 
the  parson  and  I  jogged  on,  intending  to  reach 
Derby,  a  town  about  nine  or  ten  miles  from  Chester. 

Chester  is  a  pretty  neat  and  large  village.  Built 
chiefly  of  brick,  pleasantly  situated  upon  a  small 
river  of  the  same  name  that  discharges  itself  into 
Delaware,  about  half  a  mile  below  where  the  village 
stands.  Over  this  river  is  a  wooden  bridge,  built 
with  large  rafters  and  planks  in  form  of  an  arch. 
The  State-house  is  a  pretty  enough  building;  this 
put  me  in  mind  of  Chelsea  near  London,  which  it 
resembles  for  neatness,  but  is  not  near  so  large. 

Derby 

The  parson  and  I  arrived  at  Derby,  our  resting- 
place,  at  half  an  hour  after  eight  at  night.  This 
village  stands  in  a  bottom  and  partly  upon  the  as- 
cent of  a  hill,  which  makes  it  have  a  dull,  melan- 
choly appearance.  We  put  up  at  a  publick  house 
kept  by  one  Thomas,  where  the  landlady  looked 
after  everything  herself,  the  landlord  being  drunk 
as  a  lord.  The  liquor  had  a  very  strange  effect 
upon  him,  having  deprived  him  of  the  use  of  his 
tongue.  He  sat  motionless  in  a  corner,  smoaking 
his  pipe,  and  would  have  made  a  pretty  good  figure 
upon  arras. 

i8 


We  were  entertained  with  an  elegant  dispute  be- 
tween a  young  Quaker  and  the  boatswain  of  a  pri- 
vateer, concerning  the  lawfulness  of  using  arms 
against  an  enemy.  The  Quaker  thee'd  and  thou'd 
it  thro'  the  nose  to  perfection,  and  the  privateer's 
boatswain  swore  just  like  the  boatswain  of  a  pri- 
vateer, but  they  were  so  far  from  settling  the  point 
that  the  Quaker  had  almost  acted  contrary  to  his 
principles,  clenching  his  fist  at  his  antagonist  to 
strike  him  for  bidding  God  damn  him. 

At  nine  Mr.  Usher  and  I  went  to  bed. 


Skuylkill  Ferry 

Wednesday,  June  6th.— We  mounted  horse  at  five 
in  the  morning,  crossed  Skuylkill  Ferry  at  six,  and 
in  half  an  hour  more  put  up  our  horses  at  one  Cock- 
burn's  at  the  sign  of  the  Three  Tons  in  Chestnut 
Street. 


Philadelphia 

The  country  round  the  city  of  Philadelphia  is 
level  and  pleasant,  having  a  prospect  of  the  large 
river  of  Delaware  and  the  Province  of  East  Jersey 
upon  the  other  side.  You  have  an  agreeable  view 
of  this  river  for  most  of  the  way  betwixt  Philadel- 
phia and  Newcastle.  The  plan  or  platform  of  the 
city  lies  betwixt  the  two  rivers  of  Delaware  and 
Skuylkill,  the  streets  being  layed  out  in  rectangular 
squares,  which  makes  a  regular,  uniform  plan;  but 
upon  that  account  altogether  destitute  of  variety. 


19 


At  my  entering  the  city  I  observed  the  regularity 
of  the  streets,  but  at  the  same  time  the  majority  of 
the  houses  mean  and  low,  and  much  decayed;  the 
streets  in  general  not  paved,  very  dirty  and  ob- 
structed with  rubbish  and  lumber,  but  their  fre- 
quent building  excuses  that.  The  State-house,  As- 
sembly house,^  the  great  church  ^  in  Second  street, 
and  Whitefield's  Church,^  are  good  buildings. 

I  observed  several  comical,  grotesque  Phizzes  in 
the  inn  where  I  put  up,  which  would  have  afforded 
variety  of  hints  for  a  painter  of  Hogarth's  turn. 
They  talked  there  upon  all  subjects, — politicks,  re- 
ligion, and  trade,— some  tolerably  well,  but  most 
of  them  ignorantly.  I  discovered  two  or  three 
chaps  very  inquisitive,  asking  my  boy  who  I  was, 
whence  come,  and  whither  bound. 

I  was  shaved  by  a  little  finical,  humpbacked  old 
barber,  who  kept  dancing  round  me  and  talking  all 
the  time  of  the  operation,  and  yet  did  his  job  lightly 
and  to  a  hair.  He  abounded  in  compliments,  and 
was  a  very  civil  fellow  in  his  way.  He  told  me  he 
had  been  a  journeyman  to  the  business  for  forty 
odd  years,  notwithstanding  which  he  understood 
how  to  trim  gentlemen  as  well  (thank  God)  as  the 
best  masters,  and  despaired  not  of  preferment  be- 
fore he  died. 

I  delivered  my  letters,  went  to  dine  with  Collector 
Alexander,  and  visited  several  people  in  town.  In 
the  afternoon  I  went  to  the  coffee-house,  where  I 

1  The  State  House  and  the  Assembly  House  were  at  that  time  one  and 
the  same  building ;  now  called  Independence  Hall,  where  the  Liberty  Bell 
is  kept. 

2  The  Great  Church  is  the  First  Christ  Church,  situated  on  the  west 
side  of  Second  Street,  above  Market  Street. 

^  VVhitefield  Church.  The  building  was  erected  in  1740,  situated  on 
Fourth  Street,  below  Mulberry  (now  Arch)  Street. 


20 


STATE  HOUSE  AND  ASSEMBLY  HOUSE 
Philadelphia. 


was  introduced  by  Dr.  Thomas  Bond^  to  several 
gentlemen  of  the  place,  where  the  ceremony  of 
shaking  of  hands,  an  old  custom  peculiar  to  the 
English,  was  performed  with  great  gravity,  and  the 
usual  compliments.  I  took  private  lodgings  at  Mrs. 
Cume's  in  Chestnut  Street. 

Thursday,  June  ph.—l  remarked  one  instance  of  in- 
dustry as  soon  as  I  got  up  and  looked  out  at  my  cham- 
ber window,  and  that  was  the  shops  open  at  five  in 
the  morning.  I  breakfasted  with  Mrs.  Cume,  and 
dined  by  invitation  with  Dr.  Thomas  Bond,  where 
after  some  talk  upon  physical  matters  he  showed  me 
some  pretty  good  anatomical  preparations  of  the 
muscles  and  blood-vessels  injected  with  wax. 

After  dinner  Mr.  V  bles,^  a  Barbadian  gentle- 
man, came  in,  who,  when  we  casually  had  mentioned 
the  freemasons,  began  to  rail  bitterly  against  that 
society,  as  an  impudent,  assuming,  and  vain  cabal, 
pretending  to  be  wiser  than  all  mankind  besides,  an 
imperium  in  imperio,  and  therefore  justly  to  be  dis- 
couraged and  suppressed,  as  they  had  lately  been 
in  some  foreign  countries.  Tho'  I  am  no  freemason 
myself,  I  could  not  agree  with  this  gentleman,  for  I 
abhor  all  tyrannical  and  arbitrary  notions.  I  be- 
lieve the  freemasons  to  be  an  innocent  and  harmless 
society  that  have  in  their  constitution  nothing  mys- 
terious or  beyond  the  verge  of  common  human  un- 
derstanding, and  their  secret,  which  has  made  such 
a  noise,  I  imagine  is  just  no  secret  at  all. 

In  the  evening  at  the  coffee-house,  I  met  Mr. 
H  1,  and  inquiring  how  he  did  and  how  he  had 

1  Dr.  Thomas  Bond,  an  eminent  physician  and  charter  member  of  the 
American  Philosophical  Society,  founded  in  1744. 

2  Probably  Venables. 

21 


fared  on  his  way,  he  repHed  as  to  health  he  was 
pretty  well,  but  he  had  almost  been  devoured  with 
bugs  and  other  vermin,  and  had  met  with  mean, 
low  company,  which  had  made  him  very  uneasy. 
He  added  that  he  had  heard  good  news  from  Bar- 
badoes  concerning  his  friends  there, — from  one, 
who  he  imagined  called  himself  Captain  Scrotum, 
a  strange  name  indeed,  but  this  gentleman  had  al- 
ways some  comical  turn  in  his  discourse. 

I  parted  with  him,  and  went  to  the  tavern  with 
Mr.  Currie  and  some  Scots  gentlemen,  where  we 
spent  the  night  agreeably,  and  went  home  sober  at 
eleven  o'clock. 

Friday,  June  8th.— 1  read  Montaigne's  Essays  in 
the  forenoon,  which  is  a  strange  medley  of  sub- 
jects, and  particularly  entertaining. 

I  dined  at  a  tavern  with  a  very  mixed  company 
of  different  nations  and  religions.  There  were 
Scots,  English,  Dutch,  Germans,  and  Irish;  there 
were  Roman  Catholicks,  Churchmen,  Presbyterians, 
Quakers,  Newlightmen,  Methodists,  Seventhday- 
men,  Moravians,  Anabaptists,  and  one  Jew.  The 
whole  company  consisted  of  twenty-five,  planted 
round  an  oblong  table,  in  a  great  hall  well  stocked 
with  flies. 

The  company  divided  into  committees  in  conver- 
sation ;  the  prevailing  topick  was  politicks,  and  con- 
jectures of  a  French  war.  A  knot  of  Quakers  there 
talked  only  about  selling  of  flour  and  the  low  price 
it  bore ;  they  touched  a  little  upon  religion,  and  high 
words  arose  among  some  of  the  sectaries,  but  their 
blood  was  not  hot  enough  to  quarrel,  or,  to  speak  in 
the  canting  phrase,  their  zeal  wanted  fervency. 


22 


A  gentleman  that  sat  next  me  proposed  a  number 
of  questions  concerning  Maryland,  understanding  I 
had  come  from  thence.  In  my  replies  I  was  re- 
served, pretending  to  know  little  of  the  matter,  as 
being  a  person  whose  business  did  not  He  in  the  way 
of  history  and  politicks. 

In  the  afternoon  I  went  to  see  some  ships  that  lay 
in  the  river.  Among  the  rest  were  three  vessels 
a-fitting  out  for  privateers,— a  ship,  a  sloop,  and  a 
schooner.  The  ship  was  a  large  vessel,  very  high 
and  full-rigged;  one  Captain  Mackey  intended  to 
command  her  upon  the  cruise.  At  six  o'clock  I 
went  to  the  coffee-house  and  drank  a  dish  of  coffee 
with  Mr.  H  1. 

After  staying  there  an  hour  or  two,  I  was  intro- 
duced by  Dr.  Phineas  Bond^  into  the  Governour's 
Club,  a  society  of  gentlemen  that  meet  at  a  tavern 
every  night,  and  converse  on  various  subjects.  The 
Governour  gives  them  his  presence  once  a  week, 
which  is  generally  upon  Wednesday,  so  that  I  did 
not  see  him  there.  Our  conversation  was  enter- 
taining ;  the  subject  was  the  English  poets  and  some 
of  the  foreign  writers,  particularly  Cervantes,  au- 
thor of  Don  Quixote,  whom  we  loaded  with  eulo- 
giums  due  to  his  character. 

At  eleven  o'clock  I  left  this  club  and  went  to  my 
lodging. 

Saturday,  June  gth.—This  morning  there  fell  a  light 
rain,  which  proved  very  refreshing,  the  weather 
having  been  very  hot  and  dry  for  several  days. 
The  heat  in  this  city  is  excessive,  the  sun's  rays 

1  Dr.  Phineas  Bond,  a  distinguished  physician,  charter  member  of  the 
American  Philosophical  Society,  and  especially  interested  in  natural  phil- 
osophy. 

23 


being  reflected  with  such  power  from  the  brick 
houses,  and  from  the  street  pavement,  which  is 
brick;  the  people  commonly  use  awnings  of  painted 
cloth  or  duck  over  their  shop  doors  and  windows, 
and  at  sunset  throw  bucketsful  of  water  upon  the 
pavement,  which  gives  a  sensible  cool.  They  are 
stocked  with  plenty  of  excellent  water  in  this  city, 
there  being  a  pump  at  almost  every  fifty  paces'  dis- 
tance. 

There  are  a  great  number  of  balconies  to  their 
houses,  where  sometimes  the  men  sit  in  a  cool  habit 
and  smoke. 

The  market  in  this  city  is  perhaps  the  largest  in 
North  America.  It  is  kept  twice  a  week,  upon 
Wednesdays  and  Saturdays.  The  street  where  it 
stands,  called  Market  Street,  is  large  and  spacious, 
composed  of  the  best  houses  in  the  city. 

They  have  but  one  publick  clock  here,  which 
strikes  the  hour,  but  has  neither  index  nor  dial- 
plate.  It  is  strange  they  should  want  such  an  or- 
nament and  conveniency  in  so  large  a  place,  but  the 
chief  part  of  the  community  consisting  of  Quakers 
they  would  seem  to  shun  ornament  in  their  publick 
edifices  as  well  as  in  their  apparel  or  dress. 

The  Quakers  here  have  two  large  meetings;^  the 
Church  of  England  one  great  church  in  Second 
Street,  and  another  built  for  Whitefield,  in  which 
one  Tennent,  a  fanatic,  now  preaches ;  the  Romans 
one  chapel;  the  Anabaptists  one  or  two  meetings, 
and  the  Presbyterians  two. 

The  Quakers  are  the  richest  and  the  people  of 
greatest  interest  in  this  government;  of  them  their 

1  One  of  these  was  the  Quaker  Meeting  House,  built  in  1689,  on  Front 
Street. 


24 


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Ur 

'■^■CiAA-(r(A/^,  jLo-y^^^.^^  Soi- Jl^L^iSk^^^  enffi^^-&^r^  c^/Lu^^uaJU^ 


^    cU^n^c^    (rr  'yhAA^'JL,  j/ket^  0^JC^_  /^c^  /2<5  tft^ 
^k^rUUxi'  0>^ynA,i^y}^Ji^>^ ^try-  ff^^pvrs^'/ ^^-^sWv^  0>-^^r-e£(Xj^^ 


Im^^^iiJtc^^^  ud^/mtui^  f^f^cre^fi^  ^t^K^e^,  a  '?naA^^^=^ 


oiki^  OyJ^i^i^  ^^iJir^^f£^  k  &€^0t^  TfuM^S^^  ^yJlJ*9 
Co^fo^yMj^  /         '^^^  fv^^  (?t^ltJ^/^^}<^y^  ^ 


3^ 


//  i^^^il/^^^ic^  /^-(Tjc, ^u-rvcL^  cx^^^^A^ eo*t^^i'^-^'^^ 

//  Ufirn  4leJ^      0k^v  to  Jii^  'h^^^ ^urmnoU^ 

Jt  jU^CJi^  ynaytuj  {yf^Lvs  fiu^, ^^.(Hfr  Ptiz^i,  nii^^l^ 


'K&ton  (jH*^,  Vta/J'c^  yv-^A^.  a  a,/>^^  ^yn^^t^^  finroM^^ 

.f^^cJ2L  ^c-oUt/h    'yv-CtrO  (X^^^-*^^^  -JiaC^tv^.^  . 

^iUryS  ffue-yW  £^0.^  ^ ^  fx^t  lyur^  /fc<Z7 
O^TviuJL  ^\iitS  ^y^yi^  fkc^' /yrv-a^ 

f  ^ur/  ^^su  ffu^Vr' o^^eni^C^tctJi^ 


House  of  Assembly  is  chiefly  composed.  They  have 
the  character  of  an  obstinate  stiff-necked  genera- 
tion, and  a  perpetual  plague  to  their  Governours. 
The  present  Governour,  Mr.  Thomas,  has  fallen 
upon  a  way  to  manage  them  better  than  any  of  his 
predecessors  did,  and  at  the  same  time  keep  pretty 
much  in  their  good  graces,  and  share  some  of  their 
favours.  However,  the  standing  or  falling  of  the 
Quakers  in  the  House  of  Assembly  depends  upon 
their  making  sure  the  interest  of  the  Palatines  in 
this  Province,  who  of  late  have  turned  so  numerous 
that  they  can  sway  the  votes  which  way  they  please. 

Here  is  no  publick  magazine  of  arms,  nor  any 
method  of  defence  either  for  city  or  Province  in 
case  of  the  invasion  of  an  enemy;  this  is  owing  to 
the  obstinacy  of  the  Quakers  in  maintaining  their 
principle  of  non-resistance.  It  were  pity  but  they 
were  put  to  a  sharp  trial  to  see  whether  they  would 
act  as  they  profess. 

I  never  was  in  a  place  so  populous  where  the  gout 
for  publick  gay  diversions  prevailed  so  little.  There 
is  no  such  thing  as  assemblies  of  the  gentry  among 
them,  either  for  dancing  or  musick;  these  they 
have  had  an  utter  aversion  to  ever  since  Whitefield 
preached  among  them.  Their  chief  employ,  indeed, 
is  traffick  and  mercantile  business,  which  turns  their 
thoughts  from  these  levities.  Some  Virginia  gen- 
tlemen that  came  here  with  the  Commissioners  of 
the  Indian  treaty  were  desirous  of  having  a  ball, 
but  could  find  none  of  the  female  sex  in  a  humour 
for  it.  Strange  influence  of  religious  enthusiasm 
upon  human  nature  to  excite  an  aversion  at  these 
innocent  amusements  for  the  most  part  so  agreeable 
and  entertaining  to  the  young  and  gay,  and  indeed, 


25 


in  the  opinion  of  moderate  people,  so  conducive  to 
the  improvement  of  pohteness,  good  manners,  and 
humanity. 

I  was  visited  this  morning  by  an  acquaintance 
from  Annapolis,  of  whom  inquiring  the  news,  I 
could  not  learn  anything  material. 

I  dined  at  the  tavern,  and,  returning  home  after 
dinner,  I  read  part  of  a  book  lately  writ  by  Fielding, 
entitled  The  Adventures  of  Joseph  Andrews,  a  mas- 
terly performance  of  its  kind,  and  entertaining;  the 
characters  of  low  life  here  are  naturally  delineated, 
and  the  whole  performance  is  so  good  that  I  have 
not  seen  anything  of  that  kind  equal  or  excel  it. 

This  proved  a  rainy  afternoon,  which,  because  it 
abated  the  sultry  heat,  was  agreeable.  I  drank  tea 
with  Collector  Alexander,  where  I  saw  Mr.  H  1. 

Their  conversation  turned  upon  the  people  in 
Barbadoes,  and  as  I  knew  nothing  of  the  private 
history  of  that  island,  I  only  sat  and  heard,  for  they 
went  upon  nothing  but  private  characters  and  per- 
sons. This  is  a  trespass  on  good  manners  which 
many  well-bred  people  fall  into  thro'  inadvertency, 
two  engrossing  all  the  conversation  upon  a  subject 
which  is  strange  and  unknown  to  a  third  person 
there. 

At  six  in  the  evening  I  went  to  my  lodging,  and 
looking  out  at  the  window,  having  been  led  there 
by  a  noise  in  the  street,  I  was  entertained  by  a  box- 
ing match  between  a  master  and  his  servant.  The 
master  was  an  unw'ieldy,  pot-gutted  fellow,  the  ser- 
vant muscular,  raw-boned,  and  tall;  therefore  tho' 
he  was  his  servant  in  station  of  life,  yet  he  would 
have  been  his  master  in  single  combat,  had  not  the 
bystanders  assisted  the  master  and  holp  him  up  as 

26 


often  as  the  fellow  threw  him  down.  The  servant 
by  his  dialect  was  a  Scotsman;  the  names  he  gave 
his  master  were  no  better  than  "little  bastard," 
.  .  .  .  terms  ill  applied  to  such  a  pursy  load  of 
flesh. 

This  night  proved  very  rainy. 

Sunday,  June  loth. — This  proved  a  very  wet  morn- 
ing, and  there  was  a  strange  and  surprising  altera- 
tion of  the  temperature  of  the  air,  from  hot  and 
dry  (to  speak  in  the  style  of  that  elegant  and 
learned  physician,  Dr.  Salmon,  and  some  other  an- 
cient philosophers)  to  cold  and  moist. 

I  intended  to  have  gone  to  church  or  meeting  to 
edify  by  the  Word,  but  was  diverted  from  my  good 
purpose  by  some  polite  company  I  fell  into,  who 
were  all  utter  strangers  to  churches  and  meetings. 
But  I  understood  that  my  negro  Dromo  very  piously 
stepped  into  the  Lutheran  Church  to  be  edified  with 
a  sermon  preached  in  High  Dutch,  which,  I  believe, 
when  dressed  up  in  the  fashion  of  a  discourse,  he 
understood  every  bit  as  well  as  English,  and  so 
might  edify  as  much  with  the  one  as  he  could  have 
done  with  the  other. 

I  dined  at  a  private  house  with  some  of  my  coun- 
trymen, but  our  table  chat  was  so  trivial  and  trifling 
that  I  mention  it  not.  After  dinner  I  read  the 
second  volume  of  The  Adventures  of  Joseph  An- 
drews, and  thought  my  time  well  spent. 

I  drank  tea  with  Mrs.  Cume  at  5  o'clock.  There 
was  a  lady  with  her  who  gave  us  an  elegant  dish  of 
scandal  to  relish  our  tea.  At  six  o'clock  I  went  to 
the  coffee-house,  where  I  saw  the  same  faces  I  had 
seen  before.    This  day  we  had  expresses  from  New 


27 


York,  which  brought  instructions  to  proclaim  war 
against  France,  and  there  was  an  express  imme- 
diately despatched  to  Annapolis  in  Maryland  for 
the  same  purpose. 

Monday,  June  nth. — The  morning  proved  clear, 
and  the  air  cool  and  refreshing,  which  was  a  great 
relaxation  and  relief  after  the  hot  weather  that  had 
preceded.  I  read  Montaigne's  Essays  in  the  morn- 
ing, and  was  visited  by  Dr.  Lloyd  Zachary,^  a  physi- 
cian in  this  place. 

I  dined  with  Collector  Alexander,^  and  went  in  the 
afternoon  in  the  company  of  some  gentlemen  to  at- 
tend the  Governour  to  the  Court-house  stairs,  where 
war  was  publickly  to  be  proclaimed  against  France. 

There  were  about  two  hundred  gentlemen  at- 
tended Gk)vernour  Thomas.^  Col.  Lee,*  of  Virginia, 
walked  at  his  right  hand,  and  Secretary  Peters'^  upon 
his  left;  the  procession  was  led  by  about  thirty  flags 
and  ensigns  taken  from  privateer  vessels  and  others 
in  the  harbour,  which  were  carried  by  a  parcel  of 
roaring  sailors.  They  were  followed  by  eight  or 
ten  drums  that  made  a  confounded  martial  noise, 
but  all  the  instrumental  music  they  had  was  a  pitiful 

1  Dr.  Lloyd  Zachary,  native  of  Boston,  one  of  the  health  oflScers  of 
Philadelphia. 

2  William  Alexander  became  collector  of  customs  of  Philadelphia  in  1743 
and  remained  in  that  position  until  his  death  in  1745. 

3  Governor  George  Thomas  came  from  Antigua ;  was  Governor  of  Penn- 
sylvania 1 738-1 747;  died  1749. 

'Col.  Thomas  Lee,  born  1690,  died  1750;  sent  by  the  Governor  of 
Virginia  as  commissioner  to  treat  with  the  Iroquois  in  1744. 

Richard  Peters,  born  in  England,  1704;  came  to  America  1735; 
officiated  at  Christ  Church,  Philadelphia;  became  secretary  to  the  land  office 
of  Pennsylvania  in  1737,  and  was  secretary  to  several  successive  governors. 
With  Franklin  and  others  he  founded  the  Public  Academy,  out  of  which 
grew  the  University  of  Pennsylvania.    Died  1776. 


28 


scraping  negro  fiddle,  which  followed  the  drums, 
and  could  not  be  heard  for  the  noise  and  clamour 
of  the  people  and  the  rattle  of  the  drums.  There 
was  a  rabble  of  about  4,000  people  in  the  street,  and 
great  numbers  of  ladies  and  gentlemen  in  the  win- 
dows and  balconies.  Three  proclamations  were 
read,— I  St,  the  King  of  England's  proclamation  of 
war  against  the  French  King;  2nd,  a  proclamation 
for  the  encouragement  of  such  as  should  fit  out  pri- 
vateers against  the  enemy;  3d,  the  Governour  of 
Pennsylvania's  proclamation  for  that  Province  in 
particular,  denouncing  war  and  hostility  against 
France. 

When  Secretary  Peters  had  read  these,  the  Gov- 
ernour with  a  very  audible  voice  "desired  all  such 
persons  as  were  fit  to  carry  arms  to  provide  them- 
selves, every  man  with  a  good  musket,  cartouche 
box,  powder  and  shot,  and  such  implements  as  were 
requisite  either  to  repel  or  annoy  the  enemy,  if  there 
should  be  any  necessity  or  occasion,"  adding  that 
he  should  surely  call  upon  each  of  them  to  see  that 
they  were  provided,  "for  depend  upon  it,"  says  he, 
"this  Province  shall  not  be  lost  by  any  neglect  or 
oversight  of  mine." 

The  Governour  having  thus  spoke,  a  certain  bold 
fellow  in  the  crowd  with  a  stentorian  voice  made  this 
reply,— "Please  your  Honour,"  says  he,  "what  you 
say  is  right,  but  I  and  many  others  here,  poor  men, 
have  neither  money  nor  credit  to  procure  a  musket 
or  the  third  part  of  a  musket,  so  that  unless  the 
publick  takes  care  to  provide  us,  the  bulk  of  the  peo- 
ple must  go  unfurnished,  and  the  country  be  desti- 
tute of  defence." 

The  Governour  made  no  reply,  but  smiled;  so 


29 


went  into  his  chariot  with  Col.  Lee  and  the  Secre- 
tary, and  drove  homewards. 

In  the  evening  I  drank  tea  with  Mrs.  Cume  and 
went  to  the  coffee-house.  At  seven  o'clock  I  went 
to  the  Governour's  Club,  where  were  a  good  many 
strangers.  Among  the  rest  Captain  Mackay,  com- 
mander of  the  privateer  ship.  The  conversation 
ran  chiefly  upon  trade,  and  the  late  expedition  at 
Cartagene.  Several  toasts  were  drank,  among 
which  were  some  celebrated  ones  of  the  female  sex. 

Tuesday,  June  12th.— This  seemed  to  me  an  idle 
kind  of  a  day,  and  the  heat  began  to  return.  I  pre- 
pared my  baggage,  intending  to-morrow  to  proceed 
on  my  journey  towards  New  York,  which  city  I  pro- 
posed to  be  my  next  resting-place.  I  breakfasted 
abroad,  and  dined  at  the  tavern,  where  I  met  an- 
other strange  medley  of  company,  and  among  the 
rest  a  trader  from  Jamaica,  a  man  of  an  inquisitive 
disposition,  who  seized  me  for  half  an  hour,  but  I 
was  upon  the  reserve. 

I  drank  tea  with  Mrs.  Cume  at  five  o'clock.  There 
was  with  her  a  masculine-faced  lady,  very  much 
pitted  with  the  smallpox.  I  soon  found  she  was  a 
Presbyterian,  and  a  strait-laced  one  too.  She  dis- 
covered my  religion  before  I  spoke.  "You,  sir," 
said  she,  "were  educated  a  Presbyterian,  and  I  hope 
you  are  not  like  most  of  your  countrymen  of  that 
persuasion,  who  when  they  come  abroad  in  the 
world  shamefully  leave  the  meeting  and  go  to 
Church."  I  told  her  that  I  had  dealt  impartially 
betwixt  both  since  I  came  to  the  place,  for  I  had 
gone  to  neither.    "That  is  still  worse,"  said  she. 

I  found  this  lady  pretty  well  versed  in  the  church 


30 


history  of  Maryland.  "I  am  surprised,"  said  she, 
"how  your  government  can  suffer  such  a  rascally 
clergy.  Maryland  has  become  a  receptacle,  and,  as 
it  were,  a  common  shore  for  all  the  filth  and  scum 
of  that  order.  I  am  informed  that  tailors,  cobblers, 
blacksmiths,  and  such  fellows,  when  they  cannot 
live  like  gentlemen  by  their  trades  in  that  place  go 
home  to  take  orders  of  some  latitudinarian  bishop, 
and  return  learned  preachers,  setting  up  for  teach- 
ers of  the  people,  that  have  more  need  of  schooling 
themselves,  but  that  might  bear  some  excuse  if  their 
lives  were  exemplary  and  their  morals  good;  but 
many  of  them  are  more  compleatly  wicked  than  the 
most  profligate  and  meanest  of  the  laity.  It  is  a 
shame  that  such  fellows  should  be  inducted  into 
good  livings,  without  any  further  ceremony  or  in- 
quiry about  them  than  a  recommendation  from 

L  d  B  re.^ 

"The  English  think  fit  sometimes  to  be  very 
merry  upon  the  ignorance  and  stupidity  of  our  Pres- 
byterian clerks,  I  am  sorry  indeed  that  it  is  too 
true  that  many  of  them  have  exposed  themselves  in 
ridiculous  colours,  but  notwithstanding  this  can  the 
generality  of  their  clergy,  as  wise  and  learned  as 
they  are,  show  such  good  behaviour  and  moral  life  ? 
Besides,  generally  speaking,  in  Scotland,  where  the 
Presbyterian  constitution  is  the  National  Church, 
they  admit  none  now  to  holy  orders  who  have  not 
had  a  college  education,  studied  divinity  regularly 
and  undergone  a  thorough  examination  before  a 
Presbytery  of  clerks.  Do  the  English  do  so?  No; 
their  inferior  clergy  are  rascally  fellows,  who  have 
neither  had  a  fit  education  nor  had  their  knowledge 

^Charles  Calvert,  fifth  Lord  Baltimore;  born  1699,  died  17SI. 


31 


put  to  the  trial  by  examination;  but  undergoing 
some  foolish  ceremony  or  farce  from  a  bishop,  com- 
mence teachers  presently,  and  prove  afterwards  in- 
ferior to  none  for  ignorance  and  vice.  Such  are 
your  Maryland  clerks." 

I  heard  this  long  harangue  with  patience,  and  at- 
tempted to  speak  in  defence  of  our  clergy,  but  this 
lady's  instructions  bore  such  credit  with  her  that 
she  would  not  be  contradicted.  I  quoted  the  maxim 
of  Constantine  the  Great,  who  used  to  say  that  when 
a  clergyman  offended  he  would  cover  him  with  his 
cloak ;  but  her  charity  for  the  order  I  found  did  not 
extend  so  far,  so  I  allowed  her  to  run  on  in  this 
kind  of  critical  declamation  till  her  stock  was  ex- 
hausted. 

I  must  make  a  few  remarks  before  I  leave  this 
place.  The  people  in  general  are  inquisitive  con- 
cerning strangers.  If  they  find  one  comes  there 
upon  the  account  of  trade  or  traffic,  they  are  fond 
of  dealing  with  him  and  cheating  him,  if  they  can. 
If  he  comes  for  pleasure  or  curiosity,  they  take  little 
or  no  notice  of  him,  unless  he  be  a  person  of  more 
than  ordinary  rank;  then  they  know  as  well  as 
others  how  to  fawn  and  cringe. 

Some  persons  there  were  inquisitive  about  the 
state  of  religion  in  Maryland.  My  common  reply 
to  such  questions  was  that  I  studied  their  constitu- 
tions more  than  their  consciences,  so  knew  some- 
thing of  the  first,  but  nothing  of  the  latter. 

They  have  in  general  a  bad  notion  of  the  neigh- 
bouring Province,  Maryland,  esteeming  the  people 
a  set  of  cunning  sharpers ;  but  my  notion  of  the  af- 
fair is,  that  the  Pennsylvanians  are  not  a  whit  infe- 
rior to  them  in  the  science  of  chicane,  only  their 


32 


method  of  tricking  is  different.  A  Pennsylvanian 
will  tell  a  lie  with  a  sanctified,  solemn  face ;  a  Mary- 
lander  perhaps  will  convey  his  fib  in  a  volley  of 
oaths ;  but  the  effect  and  point  in  view  are  the  same, 
tho'  the  manner  of  operating  be  different. 

In  this  city  one  may  live  tolerably  cheap,  as  to  the 
articles  of  eating  and  drinking,  but  European  goods 
here  are  extravagantly  dear.  Even  goods  of  their 
own  manufacture — such  as  linen,  woolen,  and 
leather — bear  a  high  price.  Their  government  is 
a  kind  of  anarchy  (or  no  government),  there  being 
perpetual  jars  betwixt  the  two  parts  of  the  legis- 
lature, but  that  is  no  strange  thing,  the  ambition 
and  avarice  of  a  few  men  in  both  parties  being  the 
active  springs  in  these  dissensions  and  altercations, 
tho'  a  specious  story  about  the  good  and  interest  of 
the  country  is  trumped  up  by  both ;  yet  I  would  not 
be  so  severe  as  to  say  so  of  all  in  general. 

Mr.  T  s,^  the  present  Governour,  I  believe,  is 

an  upright  man,  and  has  the  interest  of  the  Prov- 
ince really  at  heart,  having  done  more  for  the  good 
of  that  obstinate  generation,  the  Quakers,  than  any 
of  his  predecessors  have  done.  Neither  are  they 
so  blind  as  not  to  see  it,  for  he  shares  more  of  their 
respect  than  any  of  their  former  Governours  were 
wont  to  do. 

There  is  polite  conversation  here  among  the  bet- 
ter sort,  among  whom  there  is  no  scarcity  of  men 
of  learning  and  good  sense.  The  ladies,  for  the 
most  part,  keep  at  home  and  seldom  appear  in  the 
streets,  never  in  publick  assemblies,  except  at  the 
churches  or  meetings;  therefore  I  cannot  with  cer- 
tainty enlarge  upon  their  charms,  having  had  little 

1  Governor  George  Thomas.     (See  previous  note.) 


33 


or  no  opportunity  to  see  them  either  congregated  or 
separate,  but  to  be  sure  the  Philadelphia  dames  are 
as  handsome  as  their  neighbours. 

The  staple  of  this  Province  is  bread,  flour,  and 
pork.  They  make  no  tobacco  but  a  little  for  their 
own  use.  The  country  is  generally  plain  and  level, 
fruitful  in  grain  and  fruits,  pretty  v;^ell  watered,  and 
abounding  in  woods  backward ;  it  is  upon  the  grow- 
ing hand,  more  than  any  of  the  Provinces  of  Amer- 
ica. The  Germans  and  High  Dutch  are  of  late 
become  very  numerous  here. 

Wednesday,  June  /Jf/i.— Early  in  the  morning  I  set 
out  from  Philadelphia,  being  willing  to  depart  that 
city,  where  upon  account  of  the  excessive  heat  it 
was  a  pain  to  live  and  breathe.  Two  gentlemen  of 
the  city,  Mr.  Currie^  and  Mr.  Wallace,'^  compli- 
mented me  with  their  company  five  miles  of  the 
road.  I  remarked  in  the  neighbourhood  of  Phila- 
delphia some  stone  bridges,  the  first  that  I  had  seen 
in  America.  The  country  people  whom  I  met  asked 
in  general  whether  war  had  been  proclaimed  against 
France. 


Shamany  Ferry,  Bristo' 

About  nine  in  the  morning  I  crossed  Shamany' 
Ferry,  and  half  an  hour  after  rested  at  Bristo',  a 
small  town  twenty  miles  northeast  of  Philadelphia 
situated  upon  Delaware  River,  opposite  to  which 

1  Perhaps  the  Mr.  Curry  who  died  of  yellow  fever  in  1747. 

2  Perhaps  John  Wallace,  one  of  the  directors  of  the  Dancing  Academy 
in  Philadelphia. 

3  Neshaminy. 

34 


upon  the  other  side  of  the  river  stands  Burlington, 
the  chief  town  in  the  East  Jerseys. 

I  put  up  my  horses  in  Bristo',^  and  breakfasted  at 
Malachi  Wahon's  at  the  sign  of  the  Crown,  intend- 
ing to  tarry  till  the  cool  of  the  evening,  and  then 
proceed  to  Trenton,  about  ten  miles  farther. 

Bristo'  is  pleasantly  situated,  and  consists  of  one 
street  that  runs  upon  a  descent  towards  the  river, 
and  then,  making  an  angle  or  elbow,  runs  parallel  to 
the  river  for  about  a  quarter  of  a  mile.  Here  are 
some  wharfs,  pretty  commodious  for  small  vessels 
to  load  and  unload.  The  houses  in  the  town  are 
chiefly  brick,  and  the  adjacent  land  pretty  level  and 
woody. 

Delaware  Ferry— Jersey  Government- 
Trenton 

I  TOOK  horse  about  five  in  the  afternoon,  crossed 
the  ferry  of  Delaware  about  seven  o'clock,  and  a 
little  after  arrived  at  Trenton  in  East  Jersey. 

Upon  the  left  hand,  near  the  river,  on  the  Jersey 
side,  is  a  pretty  box  of  a  house,  the  property  of  Gov- 
ernour  Thomas  of  Pennsylvania,  in  which  Colonel 
Morris,^  the  present  Governour  of  the  Jerseys,  lives. 
Upon  the  right  hand,  close  upon  the  town,  is  a  fine 
water  mill,  belonging  likewise  to  Colonel  Thomas, 
with  a  very  pretty  cascade,  that  falls  over  the  dam, 
like  a  transparent  sheet,  about  thirty  yards  wide. 

I  was  treated,  at  my  entry  into  the  town,  with  a 
dish  of  staring  and  gaping  from  the  shop  doors  and 
windows,  and  I  observed  two  or  three  people  laying 

1  Bristol. 

2  Governor  Lewis  Morris,  born  1651,  died  1746;  Governor  of  New 
Jersey,  1 738-1 746. 

35 


hold  of  Dromo's  stirrups,  inquiring,  I  suppose,  who 
I  was,  and  whence  I  came. 

I  put  up  at  one  EHah  Bond's  at  the  sign  of  the 
Wheat  Sheaf.  Two  gentlemen  of  the  town  came 
there,  and  invited  me  into  their  company.  One  was 
named  Cadwaller,^  a  doctor  in  the  place,  and,  as  I 
understood,  a  fallen-ofif  Quaker. 

We  supped  upon  cold  gammon  and  a  salad.  Our 
discourse  was  mixed  and  rambling;  at  first,  it  was 
political ;  then  Cadwaller  gave  me  the  character  of 
the  constitution  and  government.  The  House  of 
Assembly  here  he  told  me  was  chiefly  composed  of 
mechanics  and  ignorant  wretches,  obstinate  to  the 
last  degree;  that  there  were  a  number  of  proprie- 
tors in  the  government  and  a  multitude  of  Quakers. 
He  enlarged  a  little  in  the  praise  of  Governour  Mor- 
ris, who  is  now  a  very  old  man. 

From  politics  the  discourse  turned  to  religion  and 
then  to  physick.  Cadwaller  asked  me  concerning 
several  people  in  Maryland,  and  among  the  rest 
(not  yet  knowing  me)  he  came  across  myself,  ask- 
ing me  if  Hamilton  at  Annapolis  was  dead  or  alive. 
"Here  he  is,"  says  I,  "bodily  and  not  spiritually." 

He  told  me  the  reason  why  he  inquired  was  that 
about  a  twelvemonth  ago,  one  Dr.  Thomson^  from 
Maryland  had  been  there,  and  had  reported  he  was 
going  to  settle  at  Annapolis  in  place  of  Hamilton 
there,  who  they  did  not  expect  would  live;  "but, 
sir,"  says  he,  "if  you  be  the  man,  I  congratulate  you 
upon  your  unexpected  recovery," 

1  Dr.  Thomas  Cadwallader  lived  in  Trenton,  but  practised  medicine  in 
Philadelphia;  trustee  of  the  University  of  Pennsylvania;  died  1779. 

2  Dr.  Adam  Thompson,  who  in  1750  wrote  an  article  on  the  preparation 
of  the  body  for  the  smallpox,  which  was  upheld  in  a  pamphlet  published 
by  Dr.  Alexander  Hamilton,  entitled  a  "  Defence  of  Dr.  Thompson's 
Discourse." 

36 


Thus  passing  from  one  subject  to  another  in  dis- 
course, Cadwaller  inveighed  bitterly  against  the 
idle  ceremonies  that  had  been  foisted  into  religious 
worship  by  almost  all  sects  and  persuasions;  "not 
that  there  was  anything  material  in  these  ceremo- 
nies to  cavil  at,  providing  the  true  design  of  them 
was  understood,  and  they  were  esteemed  only  as 
decent  decorations  and  ornaments  to  divine  service 
in  the  temples  and  churches,  but  upon  account  that 
the  vulgar  in  all  ages  had  been  misled  and  imposed 
upon  by  wicked,  politic,  and  designing  priests  and 
persuaded  that  the  strength  and  sinews  of  religion 
lay  in  such  fopperies,  and  that  there  was  no  such 
thing  as  being  a  good  man  or  attaining  salvation 
without  all  this  trumpery.  It  is  certain,"  added  he, 
"that  a  superstitious  regard  and  veneration  to  the 
mere  ceremonials  of  religion  has  contributed  very 
much  to  corrupt  the  manners  of  men,  turning  their 
thoughts  from  true  morality  and  virtue  (to  promote 
which  ought  to  be  the  sole  aim  of  all  religions  what- 
soever) to  dwell  upon  dreams,  chimeras  fit  only  to 
distract  the  human  mind,  and  give  place  for  mad 
zeal,  the  woeful  author  of  persecution,  murder,  and 
cruelty." 

To  this  I  replied  that  "priests  of  all  sorts 
and  sects  whatsoever  made  a  kind  of  trade  of  re- 
ligion, contriving  how  to  make  it  turn  out  to  their 
own  gain  and  profit,  yet  notwithstanding  many  were 
of  opinion  that  to  inculcate  religion  into  vulgar 
minds  we  must  use  other  methods  than  only  preach- 
ing up  fine  sense  and  morality  to  them.  Their  un- 
derstanding and  comprehension  are  too  gross  and 
thick  to  receive  it  in  that  shape.  Men  of  sense  of 
every  persuasion  whatsoever  are  sensible  of  the 


37 


emptiness  and  nonsense  of  the  mere  ceremonial  part 
of  religion,  but  at  the  same  time  allow  it  to  be 
in  some  degree  necessary  and  useful,  because  the 
ignorant  vulgar  are  to  be  dealt  with  in  this  point  as 
we  manage  children  by  showing  them  toys  in  order 
to  persuade  them  to  do  that  which  all  the  good  rea- 
soning of  the  world  never  would.  The  mobile,  that 
many  headed  beast,  cannot  be  reasoned  into  re- 
ligious and  pious  duties.  Men  are  not  all  philoso- 
phers, the  tools  by  which  we  must  work  upon  the 
gross  senses  and  rough-cast  minds  of  the  vulgar 
are  such  as  form  and  lay  before  their  eyes  rewards 
and  punishments,  whereby  the  passions  of  hope  and 
fear  are  excited;  and  withal  our  doctrines  must  be 
interlaced  with  something  amazing  and  mysterious 
in  order  to  command  their  attention,  strengthen 
their  belief,  and  raise  their  admiration,  for  was  one 
to  make  religion  appear  to  them  in  her  genuine, 
simple,  and  plain  dress,  she  would  gain  no  credit 
and  would  never  be  regarded. — " 

Here  Cadwaller  interrupted  me  and  said  "all 
these  discourses  signified  nothing,  for  he  thought 
she  was  very  little  regarded  even  as  it  was." 

We  dismissed  at  twelve  at  night. 

Thursday,  June  14th.— A  little  after  five  in  the 
morning  I  departed  Trenton,  and  rid  twelve  miles 
of  a  very  pleasant  road,  well  stored  with  houses  of 
entertainment. 

The  country  round  about  displays  variety  of 
agreeable  prospects  and  rural  scenes.  I  observed 
many  large  fields  of  wheat,  barley,  and  hemp,  which 
is  a  great  staple  and  commodity  now  in  this  Prov- 
ince; but  very  little  maize,  or  Indian  corn,— only 

38 


two  or  three  small  fields  I  observed  in  riding  about 
forty  miles.  They  plant  it  here  much  thicker  than  in 
Maryland,  the  distance  of  one  stalk  from  another 
not  exceeding  two  feet  and  a  half  or  three  feet  at 
most. 

All  round  you  in  this  part  of  the  country  you  ob- 
serve a  great  many  pleasant  fertile  meadows  and 
pastures,  which  diffuse  at  this  season  of  the  year,  in 
the  cool  of  the  morning,  a  sweet  and  refreshing 
smell.  The  houses  upon  the  road  are  many  of  them 
built  with  rough  stone. 


Princetown 

I  PASSED  thro'  Princetown,  a  small  village,  at  eight 
in  the  morning,  and  was  saluted  with  Hozv'  st  ni 
tapf^  by  an  Indian  traveller.  About  half  a  mile 
from  this  village  I  observed  upon  the  road  a  quarry 
of  what  appeared  to  me  gray  slate,  the  first  I  had 
seen  in  America. 

Kingstown 

At  half  an  hour  after  eight  in  the  morning,  I  put 
up  at  one  Leonard's  at  the  sign  of  the  Black  Lion  in 
Kingstown,  another  small  village  upon  the  road.  I 
breakfasted  there  upon  a  dish  of  tea,  and  was  served 
by  a  pretty  smiling  girl,  the  landlord's  daughter. 
After  breakfast,  as  I  sat  in  the  porch,  there  arrived 
a  waggon  with  some  company.  There  were  in  it 
two  Irishmen,  a  Scotsman,  and  a  Jew.  The  Jew's 
name  was  Abraham  Dubois,  a  Frenchman  by  birth. 

^  This  salutation  is  commonly  set  down  as  nehotep. 


39 


He  spoke  such  bad  English  that  I  could  scarce 
understand  him.  He  told  me  he  had  been  at  Cones- 
togo  to  visit  some  relations  he  had  there;  that  he 
left  that  place  upon  Monday  last,  and  at  that  time 
there  had  arrived  there  forty  canoes  of  Indians  of 
the  tribes  of  the  Mohooks^  and  Five  Nations,  going 
to  treat  with  the  Governours  and  Commissioners  of 
the  American  Provinces.  This  Jew  and  the  com- 
pany that  were  with  him  began  a  dispute  about 
sacred  history.  He  insisted  much  upon  the  books 
of  Moses  and  the  authority  of  the  Old  Testament. 
He  asked  the  Scotsman,  in  particular,  if  he  believed 
the  Old  Testament.  He  replied  that  "nowadays 
there  were  few  Old  Testament  people,  all  having 
become  Newlightmen;  for,"  says  he,  "among  the 
Christians,  one  wife  is  sufficient  for  one  man,  but 
your  Old  Testament  fornicators  were  allowed  a 
plurality  of  wives  and  as  many  concubines  as  they 
could  afford  to  maintain."  The  Jew  made  no  an- 
swer to  this  nonsensical  reply,  but  began  very  wisely 
to  settle  what  day  of  the  week  it  was,  and  what  time 
of  that  day,  that  God  began  the  creation  of  the 
world.  He  asserted  that  "It  was  upon  the  day  that 
the  Christians  call  Sunday,  and  that  when  the  light 
first  appeared  it  was  in  the  west,  and  therefore  it 
was  in  the  evening  that  the  creation  was  begun." 
"Had  that  evening  no  morning  then?"  replied  the 
Scotsman  with  a  sneer.  To  which  the  Jew  an- 
swered that  there  had  been  no  dawn  or  sunrising 
that  day,  because  the  sun  was  not  yet  created,  to 
run  his  diurnal  course,  but  that  a  glorious  stream 
of  light  suddenly  appeared  by  the  mandate  of  God 
in  the  west."    "I  never  heard  of  an  evening  with- 

1  Mohawks. 


40 


out  a  morning  in  my  life  before,"  replied  his  antag- 
onist, "and  it  is  nonsense  to  suppose  any  such  thing." 
"Cannot  black  exist,"  said  the  Jew,  "without  its 
opposite  white?"  "It  may  be  so,"  said  the  Scots- 
man, "but  why  does  your  countryman  Moses  say 
'and  the  evening  and  the  morning  was  the  first 
day?'"  The  Jew  answered  that  the  evening  was 
there  first  mentioned,  because  the  work  was  begun 
upon  the  evening,  at  which  the  Scotsman  swore 
that  the  words  were  misplaced  by  the  translators, 
which  pert  reply  put  an  end  to  the  dispute.  After 
a  deal  of  such  stuff  about  the  Jewish  sabbath  and 
such  like  subjects,  the  waggon  and  company  de- 
parted. They  travel  here  in  light  convenient  wag- 
gons, made  somewhat  chaise-fashion,  being  high 
behind  and  low  before,  many  of  them  running  upon 
four  wheels,  so  that  the  horses  bear  no  weight,  but 
only  draw,  and  by  this  means  they  can  travel  at  a 
great  rate,  perhaps  forty  or  fifty  miles  a  day.  Be- 
twixt twelve  o'clock  and  three  in  the  afternoon, 
there  came  up  three  smart  thunder  gusts,  with 
which  fell  a  deal  of  rain,  but  it  did  not  much  cool 
the  air.  In  the  middle  of  the  first  rain  a  solemn 
old  fellow  lighted  at  the  door.  He  was  in  a  homely 
rustic  dress,  and  I  understood  his  name  was  Mor- 
gan. "Look  ye  here,"  says  the  landlord  to  me, 
"here  comes  a  famous  philosopher.— Your  servant, 
Mr.  Morgan,  how  d'ye?"  The  old  fellow  had  not 
settled  himself  long  upon  his  seat,  before  he  entered 
upon  a  learned  discourse  concerning  astrology  and 
the  influences  of  the  stars,  in  which  he  seemed  to 
put  a  great  deal  more  confidence  than  I  thought 
was  requisite.  From  that  he  made  a  transition  to 
the  causes  of  the  tides,  the  shape  and  dimensions  of 


41 


the  earth,  the  laws  of  gravitation  and  fifty  other 
physical  subjects,  in  which  he  seemed  to  me  not  to 
talk  so  much  out  of  the  way  as  he  did  upon  the  sub- 
ject of  judicial  astrology.  At  every  period  of  this 
old  philosopher's  discourse,  the  landlord's  address 
to  him  was,  "Pray,  Mr.  Morgan,  you  that  are  a 
philosopher,  know  such  and  such  reasons  for  such 
and  such  things,  please  inform  the  gentleman  of 
your  opinion."  Then  he  fell  upon  physick,  and  told 
us  that  he  was  a-riding  for  his  health.  I  found  him 
very  deficient  in  his  knowledge  that  way,  tho'  a 
great  pretender.  All  this  chat  passed  while  the 
old  fellow  drank  half  a  pint  of  wine,  which  done, 
the  old  don  took  to  his  horse  and  rid  oflP  in  a  very 
slow  solemn  pace,  seemingly  well  satisfied  with  his 
own  learning  and  knowledge.  When  he  was  gone 
I  inquired  of  the  landlord  more  particularly  con- 
cerning him,  who  told  me  that  he  was  the  most 
conspicuous  and  notorious  philosopher  in  all  these 
American  parts ;  that  he  understood  "mademadigs" 
[mathematics]  to  a  hair's  breadth,  and  had  almost 
discovered  whereabouts  the  longitude  lay,  and  had 
writ  home  to  the  States  of  Holland  and  some  other 
great  folks  about  it,  a  great  while  ago,  but  had  as 
yet  received  no  answer.  A  little  after  two  o'clock 
we  went  to  dinner,  and  at  four  I  took  horse,  having 
in  company  a  comical  old  fellow  named  Brown,  that 
was  going  to  New  York  to  examine  the  old  records 
concerning  some  land  he  had  a  title  to  in  the  lower 
counties  of  Pennsylvania  government.  This  old 
fellow  entertained  me  the  whole  way  with  points  of 
law,  and  showed  himself  tolerablv  well  versed  for 
one  of  his  education,  in  the  quirps,  quibbles,  and  the 
roguish  part  of  that  science.    As  we  jogged  on  I 


42 


observed  some  mountainous  land  about  fifteen  or 
sixteen  miles  to  the  northward. 


Brunswick 

We  arrived  at  six  o'clock  at  Brunswick,  a  neat  small 
city  in  East  Jersey  government,  built  chiefly  of  brick 
and  lying  upon  Raritan  River,  about  sixty  miles 
northeast  of  Philadelphia.  I  put  up  this  night  at 
one  Miller's,  at  the  sign  of  Admiral  Vernon,  and 
supped  with  some  Dutchmen  and  a  mixed  company 
of  others.  I  had  a  visit  from  one  Dr.  Farquhar  in 
town,  who  did  not  stay  long  with  me,  being  bound 
that  night  for  New  York  by  water.  Our  conver- 
sation at  supper  was  such  a  confused  medley  that  I 
could  make  nothing  of  it.  I  retired  to  bed  at  eleven 
o'clock,  after  having  eat  some  very  fine  pickled 
oysters  for  supper, 

Raritan  Ferry 

Friday,  June  i^th. — A  little  before  six  in  the  morn- 
ing I  forded  Raritan  River.  The  tide  being  low 
and  the  scow  aground,  so  that  I  could  not  ferry  it 
over,  I  went  by  the  way  of  Perth  Amboy,  but  before 
I  came  to  that  place  I  was  overtaken  by  two  men, 
a  young  man  and  an  old,  grave,  sedate  fellow.  The 
young  man  gave  me  the  salute,  which  I  returned 
and  told  him  that,  if  he  was  going  to  Amboy,  I 
should  be  glad  of  company.  He  replied  he  was  go- 
ing that  way.  First  of  all,  as  it  is  natural,  we  in- 
quired concerning  news.    I  gave  him  an  account  of 


43 


such  scraps  of  news  as  I  had  picked  up  at  Phila- 
delphia, and  he  gave  me  an  account  of  a  capture 
that  had  well-nigh  been  made  of  an  English  sloop 
by  a  Frenchman  that  had  the  impudence  to  pursue 
her  into  the  hook  at  the  entrance  of  York  Bay,  but 
the  English  vessel,  getting  into  Amboy  harbour, 
the  Frenchman  betook  himself  to  sea  again;  "but 
had  this  French  rogue  known  Amboy  as  well  as  I," 
added  my  newsmonger,  "he  would  have  taken  her 
there  at  anchor."  After  discussing  news,  we  dis- 
coursed concerning  horses,  by  which  I  discovered 
that  my  chap  was  a  jockey  by  trade. 


Perth  Amboy 


This  topic  lasted  till  we  came  to  Perth  Amboy,  and 
the  old  don  spoke  not  one  word  all  the  way,  but 
coughed  and  chewed  tobacco.  At  nine  in  the  morn- 
ing we  stopped  at  the  sign  of  the  King's  Arms  in 
Amboy,  where  I  breakfasted.  As  I  sat  in  the  porch 
I  observed  an  antique  figure  pass  by,  having  an  old 
plaid  banyan,  a  pair  of  thick  worsted  stockings  un- 
gartered,  a  greasy  worsted  nightcap,  and  no  hat. 
"You  see  that  original,"  said  the  landlord;  "he  is  an 
old  bachelor,  and  it  is  his  humour  to  walk  the  street 
always  in  that  dress.  Tho'  he  makes  but  a  pitiful 
appearance,  yet  is  he  proprietor  of  most  of  the 
houses  in  town.  He  is  very  rich,  yet  for  all  that  has 
no  servant,  but  milks  his  ow^n  cow,  dresses  his  own 
vittles,  and  feeds  his  own  poultry  himself."  Amboy 
is  a  small  town.  It  is  a  very  old  American  city,  be- 
ing older  than  the  city  of  New  York ;  being  a  chart- 
ered city,  much  less  than  our  Annapolis,  and  here 


44 


i(^.^4.4.^v^-^    Ccfi  jvleuS    hciyn^  oun^a  yv<*^  oj^ f^vrjy^  ^ 

»#^-  U  ^^9- cU^:^ia^^  a-i^  J-  IS  Rajs  iLx^^  trior -U  '?Vzl£( 


ikjL  ^ 


(^M  (y*^f  '^A^^n  ftr^^  (U^Mt^n^  'ftU^.  (rmi-^  O^^t^ 

(yv^icv /iJjL^  ^  fki^  j^^  je^^s.  t4\st-^<^cyj2jt. 


9  0 


Jt^^^L^  /im^-   Huiyrc^  a/^xnJ'  10 y2_ ^<:r/ ro*^ 
err     ^i^^~fPuc^  qJ/  g-y^  e^'^i^J-  ^r^e^  o.^t  O-a^trCJL.^ 

"^o  9\j/r^  (hynr^  ^vu^  ~t^uxkj  ^yu-v^  drrt  ^  ^-ccj^-v^^^ 

0^  ^/reV  9nu*yvy^^  j%v-irr  /a^/ c^/GJ^ Cjr^toi^C6,  //  k  CL^<f^^ 


4^  fnA^ ^-ikl^  01^.  ^K^J  Ja^ne^  h'-yxtrvt^  fiuL  (££ivt^ 

"1  ff^  /y^^  f^^^ 


>^    kxA-  yv^cx£i^F^  lU^c^-tthi,^  yv't:^k^^  r^yrrt&m^^oari/y^ 
/  fixA/M    (J^  l/kiL.  iurv  JK^  jUr  /x'-m^-'fc^,  6{^^v3-f>r^^^^^o 


nh^  ^  ^!^^'  f-r^y  ^IjCi/w,  dal  u  Lja/riiei?, 

„JuS~  %v-crm<i  a^<u^,  ^fUA\f  '^xiy^Jr^^M^'^  (^<^,  ^-^^ 

l„ju^  <1-Olj&-  p-<^  -Y^txM^  /Ze^i>^j-f  CSjiy^y^,lAr<}^^[iAjiL'ij!^^ 


fy\^y^^'jfu4  -yve^r^^  hr^^  ^n^e*^ 

a^'^'^^i^^/^'^L^ctv^^^t^     ^-6e>-tJL  [^^LS    Ol^S'  ^.MU^,  Cka-^  ^ 


fj%L^£j,  ^^Sjl^Q^^^^ (^v<MynJ'^c^ QL-it^tA^fi^-^vt/-  ^iO^^^t^:^^^ 

^lutv    Of  err  L  _ 

^^ds^^tru^  -^.XAA/t^-J       jx^-ci^iri*  CA^t^-eotr  /^uaL*^  CL^ 


'Hx^  /^^W/v^.>t^  ocetfc^:,^ 


li^i^      l*^VOy\.  ^lAytJ^ 


/(  (^A^lta^  UMj  Q^a^  (kM-  kvc{Mi^.£iL^  ffwM^^ 


"j^-e^,  f.f^  .J(}^  r^^US^/^  ^ 
f^^<Mr^  cye^^uLu^  O^^^k 


frequently  the  Supreme  Court  and  Assembly  sit. 
It  has  in  it  one  Presbyterian  meeting,  and  a  pretty 
large  market  house,  lately  built.  It  is  the  principal 
town  in  New  Jersey,  and  appears  to  be  laid  out  in 
the  shape  of  a  St.  George's  cross,  one  main  street 
cutting  the  other  at  right  angles.  'T  is  a  seaport, 
having  a  good  harbour,  but  small  trade.  They  have 
here  the  best  oysters  I  have  eat  in  America.  It  lies 
close  upon  the  water,  and  the  best  houses  in  town 
are  ranged  along  the  water  side.  In  the  Jerseys  the 
people  are  chiefly  Presbyterians  and  Quakers,  and 
there  are  so  many  proprietors  that  share  the  lands 
in  New  Jersey  and  so  many  doubtful  titles  and 
rights,  that  it  creates  an  inexhaustible  and  profitable 
pool  for  the  lawyers. 

At  ten  o'clock  I  crossed  the  ferry  to  Staten  Island, 
where  are  some  miles  of  pretty  stony,  sandy,  and 
uneven  road. 


New  York  Government— Staten  Island 

I  TOOK  notice  of  one  entire  stone  there  about  ten 
feet  high,  twelve  feet  long,  and  six  or  seven  feet 
thick.  At  one  end  of  it  grew  an  oak-tree,  the  trunk 
of  which  seemed  to  adhere  or  grow  to  the  stone. 
It  lay  close  by  a  little  cottage,  which  it  equalled 
pretty  near  in  dimensions.  I  remarked  this  stone, 
because  I  had  not  seen  so  large  a  one  anywhere  but 
in  the  Highlands  of  Scotland.  A  great  many  of  the 
trees  here  are  hung  thick  with  long  hairy  gray 
moss,  which  if  handsomely  oiled  and  powdered  and 
tied  behind  with  a  bag  or  ribbon  would  make  a  tol- 
erable beau-periwig.    In  this  island  are  a  great 


45 


many  poor  thatched  cottages.  It  is  about  eighteen 
miles  long  and  six  or  seven  miles  broad.  It  seems 
to  abound  with  good  pasture,  and  is  inhabited  by 
farmers.  There  are  in  or  near  it  some  towns,  the 
chief  of  which  are  Katharine's  Town,  Cuckold's 
Town,*  and  Woodbridge. 

Narrows  Ferry 

I  CAME  to  the  Narrows  at  two  o'clock,  and  dined  at 
one  Corson's,  that  keeps  the  ferry.  The  landlady 
spoke  both  Dutch  and  English.  T  dined  upon  what 
I  never  had  eat  in  my  life  before, — a  dish  of  fried 
clams,  of  which  shell  fish  there  is  abundance  in  these 
parts. 

As  I  sat  down  to  dinner  I  observed  a  manner  of 
saying  grace  quite  new  to  me.  My  landlady  and 
her  two  daughters  put  on  solemn,  devout  faces, 
hanging  down  their  heads  and  holding  up  their 
hands  for  half  a  minute.  I,  who  had  gracelessly 
fallen  to,  without  remembering  that  duty,  according 
to  a  wicked  custom  I  had  contracted,  sat  staring  at 
them,  with  my  mouth  chock-full,  but  after  this  short 
meditation  was  over  we  began  to  lay  about  us  and 
stuff  down  the  fried  clams,  with  rye  bread  and  but- 
ter. They  took  such  a  deal  of  chewing  that  we  were 
long  at  dinner,  and  the  dish  began  to  cool  before  we 
had  eat  enough. 

The  landlady  called  for  the  bedpan.  I  could  not 
guess  what  she  intended  to  do  with  it,  unless  it  was 
to  warm  her  bed  to  go  to  sleep  after  dinner;  but  I 
found  that  it  was  used  by  way  of  a  chafing-dish  to 
warm  our  dish  of  clams.    I  stared  at  the  novelty 

1  Cuckold  Town  is  situated  in  the  extreme  northern  part  of  the  island. 

46 


for  some  time,  and  reaching  over  for  a  mug  of  beer 
that  stood  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  table,  my  bag 
sleeve  caught  hold  of  the  handle  of  the  bedpan,  and 
unfortunately  overset  the  clams,  at  which  the  land- 
lady was  a  little  ruffled,  and  muttered  a  scrap  of 
Dutch,  of  which  I  understood  not  a  word,  except 
mynheer,  but  I  suppose  she  swore,  for  she  uttered 
her  speech  with  an  emphasis. 

After  dinner  I  went  on  board  the  ferry  boat,  and 
with  a  pretty  good  breeze,  crossed  the  Narrows  in 
half  an  hour  to  Long  Island. 

Long  Island 

At  the  entry  of  this  bay  is  a  little  craggy  island, 
about  one  or  two  miles  long,  called  Coney  Island. 
Before  I  came  to  New  York  Ferry  I  rid  a  byway, 
where  in  seven  miles'  riding  I  had  twenty-four  gates 
to  open. 

Dromo,  being  about  twenty  paces  before  me, 
stopped  at  a  house,  where,  when  I  came  up,  I  found 
him  discoursing  a  negro  girl,  who  spoke  Dutch  to 
him.  "Dis  de  way  to  York?"  says  Dromo.  "Yaw, 
dat  is  Yarikee,"  said  the  wench,  pointing  to  the 
steeples.  "What  devil  you  say?"  replies  Dromo. 
"Yaw,  mynheer,"  said  the  wench.  "Damme  you, 
what  you  say?"  said  Dromo  again.  "Yaw,  yaw," 
said  the  girl.  "You  a  damn  black  bitch."  said 
Dromo,  and  so  rid  on. 

The  road  here  for  several  miles  is  planted  thick 
upon  each  side  with  rows  of  cherry-trees,  like 
hedges,  and  the  lots  of  land  are  mostly  enclosed 
with  stone  fences. 


47 


York  Ferry 


At  five  in  the  afternoon  I  called  at  one  Baker's  that 
keeps  the  York  Ferry,  where,  while  I  sat  waiting 
for  a  passage,  there  came  in  a  man  and  his  wife 
that  were  to  go  over.  The  woman  was  a  beauty, 
having  a  fine  complexion  and  good  features,  black 
eyes  and  hair,  and  an  elegant  shape.  She  had  an 
amorous  look,  and  her  eyes,  methought,  spoke  a 
language  which  is  universally  understood.  While 
she  sat  there  her  tongue  never  lay  still,  and  tho' 
her  discourse  was  of  no  great  importance,  yet  me- 
thought her  voice  had  music  in  it,  and  I  was  fool 
enough  to  be  highly  pleased  to  see  her  smiles  at 
every  little  impertinence  she  uttered.  She  talked 
of  a  neighbour  of  hers  that  was  very  ill,  and  said 
she  was  sure  she  would  die,  for  last  night  she  had 
dreamt  of  nothing  but  white  horses  and  washing  of 
linen.  I  heard  this  stufif  with  as  much  pleasure  as 
if  Demosthenes  or  Cicero  had  been  exerting  their 
best  talents,  but  meantime  was  not  so  stupid  but  I 
knew  that  it  was  the  fine  face  and  eyes,  and  not  the 
discourse  that  charmed  me.  At  six  o'clock  in  the 
evening  I  landed  at  New  York. 


New  York 

This  city  makes  a  very  fine  appearance  for  above  a 
mile  all  along  the  river,  and  here  lies  a  great  deal 
of  shipping.  I  put  my  horses  up  at  one  Waghorn's 
at  the  sign  of  the  Cart  and  Horse.  There  I  fell  in 
with  a  company  of  toapers.  Among  the  rest  was 
an  old  Scotsman,  by  name  Jameson,  sheriflf^  of  the 

48 


city,  and  two  aldermen,  whose  names  I  know  not. 
The  Scotsman  seemed  to  be  dictator  to  the  com- 
pany; his  talent  lay  in  history,  having  a  particular 
knack  at  telling  a  story.  In  his  narratives  he  inter- 
spersed a  particular  kind  of  low  wit,  well  known  to 
vulgar  understandings,  and  having  a  homely  car- 
buncle kind  of  a  countenance,  with  a  hideous  knob 
of  a  nose,  he  screwed  it  into  a  hundred  different 
forms  while  he  spoke,  and  gave  such  a  strong  em- 
phasis to  his  words  that  he  merely  spit  in  one's  face 
at  three  or  four  feet  distance,  his  mouth  being 
plentifully  bedewed  with  salival  juice  by  the  force 
of  the  liquor  which  he  drank  and  the  fumes  of  the 
tobacco  which  he  smoaked.  The  company  seemed 
to  admire  him  much,  but  he  set  me  a-staring. 

After  I  had  sat  some  time  with  this  polite  com- 
pany, Dr.  Colchoun,^  surgeon  to  the  fort,  called  in, 
to  whom  I  delivered  letters,  and  he  carried  me  to 
the  tavern,^  which  is  kept  by  one  Todd,  an  old  Scots- 
man, to  sup  with  the  Hungarian  Club,  of  which  he 
is  a  member,  and  which  meets  there  every  night. 
The  company  were  all  strangers  to  me,  except  Mr, 
Home,^  Secretary  of  New  Jersey,  of  whom  I  had 
some  knowledge,  he  having  been  at  my  house  at 
Annapolis.  They  saluted  me  very  civilly,  and  I, 
as  civilly  as  I  could,  returned  their  compliments,  in 
neat  short  speeches,  such  as  "Your  very  humble 
servant,"  "I 'm  glad  to  see  you,"  and  the  like  com- 
monplace phrases,  used  upon  such  occasions.  We 

1  Dr.  Alexander  Colhoun,  stabbed  by  Oliver  De  Lancey  in  1749. 

2  Todd's  Tavern ;  kept  by  Robert  Todd ;  known  by  the  sign  of  the 
Black  Horse,  in  Smith  (now  William)  Street.  It  was  at  this  tavern  on  the 
evening  of  January  19,  1736,  that  a  ball  was  given  in  honor  of  the  Prince  of 
Wales's  birthday. 

3  Archibald  Home,  Clerk  of  Council  of  New  Jersey  1741  ;  member  of 
Council  1 741;  again  Clerk  of  Council  1743. 


49 


went  to  supper,  and  our  landlord  Todd  entertained 
us,  as  he  stood  waiting,  with  quaint  saws,  and  jack- 
pudding  speeches.  "Praised  be  God,"  said  he,  "as 
to  cuikry  I  defaa  ony  French  cuik  to  ding  me,  hot 
a  haggis  is  a  dish  I  wadna  tak  the  trouble  to  mak. 
Look  ye,  gentlemen,  there  was  anes  a  Frenchman 
axed  his  frind  to  denner.  His  frind  axed  him, 
'What  hae  ye  gotten  till  eat?'  'Four  an'  twanty 
legs  of  mutton,'  quo'  he,  'a'  sae  differently  cuiked 
that  ye  winna  ken  whilk  is  whilk.'  Sae  whan  he 
gaed  there,  what  deel  was  it,  think  ye,  but  four  and 
twanty  sheep's  trotters,  be  God" — he  was  a-going 
on  with  this  tale  of  a  tub  when,  very  seasonably  for 
the  company,  the  bell,  hastily  pulled,  called  him  to 
another  room,  and  a  little  after  we  heard  him  roar- 
ing at  the  stair-head, — "Damn,  ye  bitch,  wharfor 
winna  ye  bring  a  canle?" 

After  supper  they  set  in  for  drinking,  to  which  I 
was  averse,  and  therefore  sat  upon  nettles.  They 
filled  up  bumpers  at  each  round,  but  I  would  drink 
only  three,  which  were  to  the  King,^  Governour 
Clinton,^  and  Governour  Bladen,^  which  last  was  my 
own.  Two  or  three  toapers  in  the  company  seemed 
to  be  of  opinion  that  a  man  could  not  have  a  more 
sociable  quality  or  enduement  than  to  be  able  to 
pour  down  seas  of  liquor,  and  remain  unconquered, 
while  others  sank  under  the  table.  I  heard  this 
philosophical  maxim,  but  silently  dissented  to  it.  I 
left  the  company  at  ten  at  night  pretty  well  flushed 
with  my  three  bumpers,  and  ruminating  on  my 
folly  went  to  my  lodging  at  Mrs.  Hogg's  in  Broad 
Street. 

1  King  George  II.,  born  1683,  died  1760. 

2  George  Clinton,  son  of  the  Earl  of  Lincoln ;  Governor  of  New  York, 
1743-1753;  died  in  England  in  1761. 

3  Thomas  Bladen,  Governor  of  Maryland  1 742-1 746. 

50 


Saturday,  June  i6th. — I  breakfasted  with  my  land- 
lady's sister,  Mrs.  Boswall.  In  the  morning  Dr. 
Colchoun  called  to  see  me,  and  he  and  I  made  an 
appointment  to  dine  at  Todd's.  In  the  afternoon  I 
took  a  turn  thro'  several  of  the  principal  streets  in 
town,  guarding  against  staring  about  me  as  much 
as  possible,  for  fear  of  being  remarked  for  a 
stranger,  gaping  and  staring  being  the  true  crite- 
rion or  proof  of  rustic  strangers  in  all  places.  The 
following  observations  occurred  to  me :  — 

I  found  the  city  less  in  extent,  but  by  the  stir  and 
frequency  upon  the  streets,  more  populous  than 
Philadelphia.  I  saw  more  shipping  in  the  harbour. 
The  houses  are  more  compact  and  regular,  and  in 
general  higher  built,  most  of  them  after  the  Dutch 
model,  with  their  gavell  ends  fronting  the  street. 
There  are  a  few  built  of  stone;  more  of  wood,  but 
the  greatest  number  of  brick,  and  a  great  many 
covered  with  pantile  and  glazed  tile  with  the  year 
of  God  when  built  figured  out  with  plates  of  iron, 
upon  the  fronts  of  several  of  them.  The  streets  in 
general  are  but  narrow,  and  not  regularly  disposed. 
The  best  of  them  run  parallel  to  the  river,  for  the 
city  is  built  all  along  the  water,  in  general. 

This  city  has  more  of  an  urban  appearance  than 
Philadelphia.  Their  wharfs  are  mostly  built  with 
logs  of  wood  piled  upon  a  stone  foundation.  In 
the  city  are  several  large  public  buildings.  There 
is  a  spacious  church,^  belonging  to  the  English 
congregation,  with  a  pretty  high,  but  heavy, 
clumsy  steeple,  built  of  freestone,  fronting  the 
street  called  Broadway.  There  are  two  Dutch 
churches,  several  other  meetings,  and  a  pretty 
large  Town-house  at  the  head  of  Broad  street.  The 

1  The  English  Church,  Trinity  Church,  situated  on  Broadway,  built  in 
1737,  and  destroyed  in  1776. 

51 


Exchange  stands  near  the  water,  and  is  a  wooden 
structure  going  to  decay.  From  it  a  pier  runs 
into  the  water  called  the  Long  Bridge,  about  fifty 
paces  long,  covered  with  plank  and  supported  with 
large  wooden  posts.  The  Jews  have  one  synagogue 
in  this  city. 

The  women  of  fashion  here  appear  more  in  public 
than  in  Philadelphia,  and  dress  much  gayer.  They 
come  abroad  generally  in  the  cool  of  the  evening 
and  go  to  the  Promenade. 

I  returned  to  my  lodging  at  four  o'clock,  being 
pretty  much  tired  with  my  walk.  I  found  with  Mrs. 
Boswall  a  handsome  young  Dutchwoman.  We 
drank  tea,  and  had  a  deal  of  trifling  chat;  but  the 
presence  of  a  pretty  lady,  as  I  hinted  before,  makes 
even  trifling  agreeable. 

In  the  evening  I  writ  letters  to  go  by  the  post  to 
Annapolis,  and  at  night  went  and  supped  with  the 
Hungarian  Club  at  Todd's,  where,  after  the  bump- 
ers began  to  go  round  according  to  their  laudable 
custom,  we  fell  upon  various  conversation,  in  which 
Todd,  standing  by,  mixed  a  deal  of  his  clumsy  wit, 
which  for  the  mere  stupidity  of  it  sometimes  drew 
a  laugh  from  the  company.  Our  conversation 
ended  this  night  with  a  piece  of  criticism  upon  a 
poem  in  the  newspaper,  where  one  of  the  company, 

Mr.  M  e,^  a  lawyer,  showed  more  learning  than 

judgment  in  a  disquisition  he  made  upon  nomina- 
tives and  verbs,  and  the  necessity  there  was  for  a 
verb  to  each  nominative,  in  order  to  make  sense. 
We  dismissed  at  eleven  o'clock. 


Sunday,  June  i/th.— At  breakfast  I  found  with  Mrs. 

1  Probably  Mr.  Lambert  Moore,  mentioned  later. 
52 


TRINITY  CHURCH 

Broadway,  New  York. 

Erected  in  1737,  destroyed  in  1776.  Afterwsirds  re 
built. 


HOHUHO  YTIHIHT 


* 


Boswall  some  gentlemen,  among  whom  was  Mr. 

J  ys/  an  officer  of  the  customs  in  New  York. 

To  me  he  seemed  a  man  of  an  agreeable  conversa- 
tion and  spirit.  He  had  been  in  Maryland  some 
years  ago,  and  gave  me  an  account  of  some  of  his 
adventures  with  the  planters  there.  He  showed 
me  a  deal  of  civility  and  complaisance,  carried  me 
to  church,  and  provided  me  with  a  pew.  The  min- 
ister who  preached  to  us  was  a  stranger.  He  gave 
us  a  good  discourse  upon  the  Christian  virtues. 
There  was  a  large  congregation  of  above  a  thou- 
sand, among  whom  was  a  number  of  dressed  ladies. 
This  church  is  above  lOO  feet  long,  and  80  wide. 
At  the  east  end  of  it  is  a  large  semicircular  area  in 
which  stands  the  altar,  pretty  well  ornamented  with 
painting  and  gilding.  The  galleries  are  supported 
with  wooden  pillars  of  the  Ionic  order,  with  carved 
work  of  foliage  and  cherubs'  heads  gilt  betwixt  the 
capitals.  There  is  a  pretty  organ  at  the  west  end 
of  the  church,  consisting  of  a  great  number  of  pipes 
handsomely  gilt  and  adorned;  but  I  had  not  the 
satisfaction  of  hearing  it  play,  they  having  at  this 
time  no  organist;  but  the  vocal  music  of  the  con- 
gregation was  very  good. 

Mr.  J  ys  carried  me  to  Mr.  Bayard's^  to  dine, 

and  at  four  o'clock  we  went  to  the  coffee-house.  I 
drank  tea  at  a  gentlewoman's  house,  whose  name  I 

know  not,  being  introduced  there  by  Mr.  J  ys. 

There  was  an  old  lady  and  two  young  ones,  her 
daughters,  I  suppose.  The  old  lady's  discourse  ran 
upon  news  and  politicks,  but  the  young  women  sat 
mute,  only  now  and  then  smiled  at  what  was  said, 

1  JefTreys. 

2  Stephen  Bayard,  elected  alderman,  1738;  superintended  construction  of 
a  fleet,  1746. 


53 


and  Mr.  Jeffrys  enlivened  the  conversation  with  re- 
partee. 

At  six  o'clock  I  went  to  see  the  fort  and  battery. 
The  castle,  or  fort,  is  now  in  ruins,  having  been 
burnt  down  three  or  four  years  ago  by  the  con- 
spirators, but  they  talk  of  repairing  it  again.  The 
Lieutenant-Governour  had  here  a  house  and  a 
chapel,  and  there  are  fine  gardens  and  terrace  walks, 
from  which  one  has  a  very  pretty  view  of  the  city. 
In  the  fort  are  several  guns,  some  of  them  brass 
and  cast  in  a  handsome  mould.  The  new  battery 
is  raised  with  ramparts  of  turf,  and  the  guns  upon 
it  are  in  size  from  twelve  to  eighteen  pounders. 
The  main  battery  is  a  great  half-moon  or  semi- 
circular rampart  bluff  upon  the  water,  being  turf 
upon  a  stone  foundation,  about  lOO  paces  in  length, 
the  platform  of  which  is  laid  in  some  places  with 
plank,  in  others  with  flagstone.  Upon  it  there  are 
fifty-six  great  iron  guns,  well  mounted,  most  of  them 
being  thirty-two  pounders. 

Mr.  J  ys  told  me  that  to  walk  out  after  dusk 

upon  this  platform  was  a  good  way  for  a  stranger 
to  fit  himself  with  a  courtesan;  for  that  place  was 
the  general  rendezvous  of  the  fair  sex  of  that  pro- 
fession after  sunset.  He  told  me  there  was  a  good 
choice  of  pretty  lasses  among  them,  both  Dutch 
and  English.  However,  I  was  not  so  abandoned 
as  to  go  among  them,  but  went  and  supped  with  the 
Club  at  Todd's. 

It  appeared  that  our  landlord  was  drunk,  both 
by  his  words  and  actions.  When  we  called  for 
anything  he  hastily  pulled  the  bell-rope,  and  when 
the  servants  came  up,  Todd  had  by  that  time  forgot 
what  was  called  for.    Then  he  gave  us  a  discourse 


54 


upon  law  and  gospel,  and  swore  by  God  that  he 
would  prove  that  law  was  founded  upon  gospel,  and 
gospel  upon  law,  and  that  reason  was  depending 
upon  both,  and  therefore  to  be  a  good  lawyer  it  was 
substituted  to  be  a  good  gospeller.  We  asked  him 
what  such  a  wicked  dog  as  he  had  to  do  with  gos- 
pel. He  swore  by  God  that  he  had  a  soul  to  be 
saved  as  well  as  the  King,  and  he  would  neither  be 
hanged  nor  damned  for  all  the  Kings  in  Christen- 
dom. We  could  not  get  rid  of  him  till  we  put  him 
in  a  passion  by  affirming  he  had  no  soul,  and  offer- 
ing to  lay  him  a  dozen  of  wine  that  he  could  not 
prove  he  had  one,  at  which,  after  some  tags  of  in- 
coherent arguments  he  departed  the  room  in  wrath, 
calling  us  heathens  and  infidels.  I  went  home  after 
twelve  o'clock. 


Monday,  June  iSth.—Mostoi this  day  proved  rainy, 
and  therefore  I  could  not  stir  much  abroad.  I  dined 
at  Todd's  with  Dr.  Colchoun^  and  a  young  gentle- 
man, a  stranger.  After  dinner  the  doctor  and  I 
went  to  the  coffee-house  and  took  a  hit  at  backgam- 
mon. He  beat  me  two  games.  At  five  in  the 
afternoon,  I  drank  tea  with  Mrs.  Boswall,  and  went 
to  the  coffee-house  again,  where  I  looked  on  while 
they  played  at  chess.  It  continued  to  rain  very  hard. 
This  night  I  shunned  company,  and  went  to  bed  at 
nine. 

Tuesday,  June  igth.— At  breakfast  with  my  land- 
lady I  found  two  strange  gentlemen  that  had  come 
from  Jamaica.    They  had  just  such  cloudy  counte- 

1  Dr.  Alexander  Colhoun. 


55 


nances  as  are  commonly  wore  the  morning  after  a 
debauch  in  drinking.  Our  conversation  was  a 
medley,  but  the  chief  subject  we  went  upon  was  the 
difiference  of  climate  in  the  American  Provinces, 
with  relation  to  the  influence  they  had  upon  human 
bodies.  I  gave  them  as  just  an  account  as  I  could 
of  Maryland,  the  air  and  temperature  of  that  Prov- 
ince, and  the  distempers  incident  to  the  people  there. 
I  could  not  help  suspecting  that  there  were  some 
physicians  in  the  company  by  the  tenour  of  the  dis- 
course, but  could  not  understand  for  certain  that 
any  one  there  besides  myself  was  a  professed  phy- 
sician. 

One  gentleman  there  that  came  from  Curasao 
told  us  that  in  a  month's  time  he  had  known  either 
thirty  or  forty  souls  buried,  which,  in  his  opinion, 
was  a  great  number  for  the  small  neighbourhood 
where  he  lived.  I  could  scarce  help  laughing  out 
at  this  speech,  and  was  just  going  to  tell  him  that  I 
did  not  think  it  was  customary  to  bury  souls  any- 
where but  in  Ireland;  but  I  restrained  my  tongue, 
having  no  mind  to  pick  a  quarrel  for  the  sake  of  a 
joke. 

We  dined  at  Todd's,  with  seven  in  company,  upon 
veal,  beefsteaks,  green  pease,  and  raspberries  for  a 
dessert.  There  talking  of  a  certain  free  negro  in 
Jamaica,  who  was  a  man  of  estate,  good  sense,  and 
education,  the  fore-mentioned  gentleman  who  had 
entertained  us  in  the  morning  about  burying  of 
souls,  gravely  asked  if  that  negro's  parents  were 
not  whites,  for  he  was  sure  that  nothing  good  could 
come  of  the  whole  generation  of  blacks. 

Afternoon  I  drank  tea  with  Mrs.  Boswall,  hav- 
ing, to  pass  away  time,  read  some  of  the  journal  of 

56 


proceedings  against  the  conspirators^  at  New  York. 
At  night  I  went  to  a  tavern  fronting  the  Albany 
coffee-house  along  with  Doctor  Colchoun,  where 
I  heard  a  tolerable  concerto  of  musick,  performed  by 
one  violin  and  two  German  flutes.  The  violin  was 
by  far  the  best  I  had  heard  played  since  I  came  to 
America.    It  was  handled  by  one  Mr.  H  d. 

Wednesday,  June  20th. — I  dined  this  day  at  Todd's, 

where  I  met  with  one  Mr.  M  Is,^  a  minister  at 

Shrewsbury  in  the  Jerseys,  who  had  formerly  been 
for  some  years  minister  at  Albany.  I  made  an  agree- 
ment to  go  to  Albany  with  him  the  first  opportunity 
that  offered.  I  inquired  accordingly  at  the  coffee- 
house for  the  Albany  sloops,  but  I  found  none  ready 
to  go. 

I  got  acquainted  with  one  Mr.  Weemse,  a  mer- 
chant of  Jamaica,  my  countryman  and  fellow  lodger 
at  Mrs.  Hogg's.  He  had  come  here  for  his  health, 
being  afflicted  with  the  rheumatism.  He  had  much 
of  the  gentleman  in  him,  was  good-natured,  but 
fickle;  for  he  determined  to  go  to  Albany  and  Bos- 
ton in  company  with  me;  but,  sleeping  upon  it, 
changed  his  mind.  He  drank  too  hard,  whence  I 
imagined  his  rheumatism  proceeded  more  than  from 
the  intemperature  of  the  Jamaica  air. 

After  dinner  I  played  backgammon  with  Mr. 

iThe  so-called  Negro  Slave  Plot  of  1 741.  The  Journal  was  probably 
Judge  Daniel  Horsmanden's  7V<»w  Vari  Conspiracy,  or  a  History  of  the  Ne- 
gro Plot,  which  was  published  in  1744. 

2  This  gentleman,  very  frequently  mentioned  in  the  Itinerarium,  as  "  Mr. 

M  Is,"  and  more  often  "Mr.  M  s,"  can  be  no  other  than  Rev.  John 

Miln,  who  was  the  clergyman  of  St.  Paul's  Church,  Albany,  1 728-1 737. 
He  was  the  second  husband  of  the  daughter  of  Stephen  Van  Cortlandt  and 
wife  of  Killian  Van  Rensselaer,  the  mother  of  Jeremiah  Van  Rensselaer, 
third  patroon  ;  he  was  transferred  to  New  Jersey  from  Albany.  Miln 
appears  in  some  of  the  records  as  Miller. 


57 


Jeffreys,  in  which  he  beat  me  two  games  for  one. 
I  read  out  the  Journal  of  Proceedings,  and  at  night 
prepared  my  baggage  to  go  for  Albany. 

Thursday,  June  21st.  — 1  dined  at  Todd's  with  sev- 
eral gentlemen,  and  called  upon  Mr.  M  Is  at  two 

o'clock,  with  whom  I  intended  to  go  by  water  to 
Albany  in  a  sloop  belonging  to  one  Knockson.  I 
met  here  with  one  Mr.  Knox,  a  young  man,  son  of 
David  Knox,  late  of  Edinburgh,  surgeon,  in  whose 
shop  I  had  learnt  pharmacy.  While  we  talked  over 
old  stories,  there  passed  some  comic  discourse  be- 
twixt Todd  and  four  clumsy  Dutchmen.  These 
fellows  asked  him  if  they  could  all  drink  for  four- 
pence.  "That  you  may,"  says  Todd,  "such  liquor 
as  fourpence  will  afford."  So  he  brought  them  a 
bottle  of  ship-beer,  and  distributed  it  to  them  in  a 
half-pint  tumbler,  the  last  of  which  being  mostly 
froth,  the  Dutchman  to  whose  share  it  came,  look- 
ing angrily  at  Todd,  said,  "The  Deyvil  damn  the 
carle !"  "Damn  the  fallow,"  says  Todd,  "what  wad 
he  hae  for  his  4  pennies  ?"  After  getting  my  bag- 
gage and  some  provisions  ready,  I  went  on  board 

the  Albany  sloop,  where  I  found  Mr.  M  s  and 

his  wife,  an  old,  jolly,  fat  Dutchwoman,  mother  to 
the  Patroon  at  Albany,  a  gentleman  there  of  Dutch 
extract,  the  chief  landed  man  in  the  place. 

Nutting  Island 

Having  a  contrary  wind  and  an  ebb  tide,  we 
dropped  anchor  about  half  a  mile  below  New  York, 
and  went  ashore  upon  Nutting  Island,^  which  is 

1  Nutting  Island  is  the  present  Governor's  Island. 
58 


about  half  a  mile  in  dimension  every  way,  contain- 
ing about  sixty  or  seventy  square  acres.  We  there 
took  in  a  cask  of  spring  water.  One  half  of  this 
island  was  made  into  hay,  and  upon  the  other  half 
stood  a  crop  of  good  barley,  much  damaged  by  a 
worm  which  they  have  here,  which  so  soon  as  their 
barley  begins  to  ripen  cuts  off  the  heads  of  it. 

There  lived  an  old  Scots-Irishman  upon  this 
island  with  his  family  in  a  ruinous  house,  a  tenant 
of  the  Governour's,  to  whom  the  island  belongs 
durante  officio.  This  old  man  treated  us  with  a 
mug  of  ship-beer,  and  entertained  us  with  a  history 
of  some  of  the  adventures  of  the  late  Governour 
Cosby  ^  upon  that  island.  It  is  called  Nutting  Island 
from  its  bearing  nuts  in  plenty,  but  what  kind  of 
nuts  they  are  I  know  not,  for  I  saw  none  there.  I 
saw  myrtle  berries  growing  plentifully  upon  it,  a 
good  deal  of  juniper  and  some  few  plants  of  the 
ipecacuan.  The  banks  of  the  island  are  stony  and 
steep  in  some  places.  It  is  a  good  place  to  erect  a 
battery  upon,  to  prevent  an  enemy's  approach  to 
the  town,  but  there  is  no  such  thing,  and  I  believe 
that  an  enemy  might  land  on  the  back  of  this  island 
out  of  reach  of  the  town  battery  and  plant  cannon 
against  the  city  or  even  throw  bombs  from  behind 
the  island  upon  it. 

We  had  on  board  this  night  six  passengers,  among 
whom  were  three  women.    They  all  could  talk  Dutch 

but  myself  and  Dromo,  and  all  but  Mr.  M  s 

seemed  to  prefer  it  to  English.  At  eight  o'clock 
at  night,  the  tide  serving  us,  we  weighed  anchor, 
and  turned  it  up  to  near  the  mouth  of  North  River, 

1  William  Cosby,  Governor  of  New  Vork  from  1732  to  his 
death  in  1736. 


59 


and  dropt  anchor  again  at  ten,  just  opposite  to  the 
great  church  in  New  York. 

Friday,  June  22d.—^Nhi\e  we  waited  the  tide  in  the 

morning,  Mr.  M  s  and  I  went  ashore  to  the 

house  of  one  Mr.  Van  Dames,  where  we  break- 
fasted, and  went  from  thence  to  see  the  new  Dutch 
church,  a  pretty  large  but  heavy  stone  building,  as 
most  of  the  Dutch  edifices  are,  quite  destitute  of 
taste  or  elegance.  The  pulpit  of  this  church  is 
prettily  wrought,  being  of  black  walnut.  There  is 
a  brass  supporter  for  the  great  Bible  that  turns 
upon  a  swivel,  and  the  pews  are  in  a  very  regu- 
lar order.  The  church  within  is  kept  very  clean, 
and  when  one  speaks  or  hollows  there  is  a  fine  echo. 
We  went  up  into  the  steeple,  where  there  is  one 
pretty  large  and  handsome  bell,  cast  at  Amsterdam, 
and  a  publick  clock.  From  this  steeple  we  could 
have  a  full  view  of  the  city  of  New  York. 

Early  this  morning  two  passengers  came  onboard 
of  the  sloop,  a  man  and  a  woman,  both  Dutch.  The 
man  was  named  Marcus  Van  Bummill.  He  came 
on  board  drunk  and  gave  us  a  surfeit  of  bad  Eng- 
lish. If  anybody  laughed  when  he  spoke  he  was 
angry,  being  jealous  that  they  thought  him  a  fool. 
He  had  a  good  deal  of  the  bully  and  braggadocio  in 
him,  but  when  thwarted  or  threatened  he  seemed 
faint-hearted  and  cowardly.  Understanding  that 
I  was  a  valetudinarian  he  began  to  advise  me  how 
to  manage  my  constitution.  "You  drink  and  whore 
too  much,"  said  he,  "and  that  makes  you  thin  and 
sickly.  Could  you  abstain  as  I  have  done,  and 
drink  nothing  but  water  for  six  weeks,  and  have 
to  do  with  no  women  but  your  own  lawful  wife, 

60 


your  belly  and  cheeks  would  be  like  mine,— look  ye, 
plump  and  smooth  and  round."  With  that  he 
clapped  his  hands  upon  his  belly  and  blowed  up  his 
cheeks  like  a  trumpeter.  He  brought  on  board  with 
him  a  runlet  of  rum,  and,  taking  it  into  his  head 
that  somebody  had  robbed  him  of  a  part  of  it,  he 
went  down  into  the  hold,  and  fella-swearing  bitterly 
by  Dunder,  Sac'ramentum,  and  Jesu  Christus.  I,  be- 
ing upon  deck  and  hearing  a  strange  noise  below, 
looked  down  and  saw  him  expanding  his  hands  and 
turning  up  his  eyes  as  if  he  had  been  at  prayers. 
He  was  for  having  us  all  before  a  magistrate  about 
it,  but  at  last  Knockson,  the  master  of  the  sloop, 
swore  him  into  good  humour  again,  and  persuaded 
him  that  his  rum  was  all  safe.  He  quoted  a  deal 
of  scripture,  but  his  favorite  topics  when  upon  that 
subject  was  about  King  David  and  King  Solomon 
and  the  shape  and  size  of  the  Tower  of  Babel.  He 
pretended  to  have  been  mighty  familiar  with  great 
folks  when  they  came  in  his  way,  and  this  familiarity 
of  his  was  so  great  as  even  to  scorn  and  contemn 
them  to  their  faces.  After  a  deal  of  talk  and  rattle 
he  went  down  and  slept  for  four  hours,  and  when 
he  waked,  imagined  he  had  slept  a  whole  day  and  a 
night,  swearing  it  was  Saturday  night  when  it  was 
only  Friday  afternoon.  There  was  a  Dutchwoman 
on  board,  remarkably  ugly,  upon  whom  this  Van 
Bummill  cast  a  loving  eye,  and  wanted  much  to  be 
at  close  conference  with  her. 

Green  WITCH 

At  twelve  o'clock  we  passed  a  little  town,  star- 
board, called  Greenwitch,  consisting  of  eight  or  ten 

6i 


neat  houses,  and  two  or  three  miles  above  that  on 
the  same  shoar,  a  pretty  box  of  a  house,  with  an 
avenue  fronting  the  river,  belonging  to  Oliver  Du- 
lancie/  On  the  left  hand  some  miles  above  York, 
the  land  is  pretty  high  and  rocky,  the  west  bank  of 
the  river  for  several  miles  being  a  steep  precipice, 
above  lOO  feet  high. 

Mr.  M  s  read  a  treatise  upon  microscopes, 

and  wanted  me  to  sit  and  hear  him,  which  I  did, 
tho'  with  little  relish,  the  piece  being  trite  and  vul- 
gar, and  tiresome  to  one  who  had  seen  Leewenhoek, 
and  some  of  the  best  hands  upon  that  subject.  I 

soon  found  M  Is's  ignorance  of  the  thing,  for  as 

he  read  he  seemed  to  be  in  a  kind  of  surprise  at 
every  little  trite  observation  of  the  author's.  I 
found  him  an  entire  stranger  to  the  mathematics, 
so  as  that  he  knew  not  the  difference  betwixt  a  cone 
and  a  pyramid,  a  cylinder  and  a  prism.  He  had 
studied  a  year  at  Leyden  under  Boerhaave,  even 
after  he  had  entered  into  holy  orders.  He  had 
once  wore  a  soldier's  livery,  was  very  whimsical 
about  affairs  relating  to  farming,  in  so  much  that 
he  had  spent  a  deal  of  money  in  projects  that  way, 
but  reaped  as  little  profit  as  projectors  commonly 
do.  I  was  told  by  a  gentleman  that  knew  him  that 
formerly  he  had  been  an  immoderate  drinker,  so 
as  to  expose  himself  by  it,  but  now  he  was  so  much 
reformed  as  to  drink  no  liquor  but  water.  In  some 
parts  of  learning,  such  as  the  languages,  he  seemed 
pretty  well  versed.  He  could  talk  Latin  and  French 
very  well,  and  read  the  Greek  authors,  and  I  was 
told  that  he  spoke  the  Dutch  to  perfection.  He  in- 
quired of  me  concerning  Parson  C  se  of  Mary- 

1  Oliver  De  Lancey,  born  1717;  military  commander  in  the  French  and 
Indian  Wars ;  commander  of  Loyalist  troops  during  the  Revolution ;  died 
1785,  in  England. 

62 


land,  but  I  could  not  find  out  which  of  the  C  ses 

it  was.  He  told  me  he  had  once  given  him  a  hearty 
horsewhipping  for  some  rude  language  he  gave  him 
in  a  theological  dispute  which  they  had.  I  was  in- 
formed by  him  that  Morgan,  the  philosopher  and 
mathematician,  whom  I  had  seen  at  Kingstown  was 
his  curate. 

We  passed  a  little  country  house  belonging  to  one 
Philips  at  four  o'clock,  starboard.  This  house  is 
about  twenty  miles  above  York.  We  had  several 
learned  discourses  in  the  evening  from  Van  Bum- 
mill  concerning  doctors.  "You  are  a  doctor,"  says 
he  to  me;  "what  signifies  your  knowledge?  You 
pretend  to  know  inward  distempers  and  to  cure 
them,  but  to  no  purpose ;  your  art  is  vain.  Find  me 
out  a  doctor  among  the  best  of  you,  that  can  mend 
a  man's  body  half  so  well  as  a  joiner  can  help  a 
crazy  table  or  stool.  I  myself  have  spent  more 
money  on  doctors  than  I  would  give  for  the  whole 
tribe  of  them  if  I  had  it  in  my  pocket  again.  Ex- 
perience has  taught  me  to  shun  them  as  one  would 
impostors  and  cheats,  and  now  no  doctor  for  me  but 
the  great  Doctor  above."  This  was  the  substance 
of  his  discourse,  tho'  it  was  not  so  well  connected  as 
I  have  delivered  it.  After  this  harangue  he  took  a 
dram  or  two,  and  got  again  into  his  wonted  raving 
humour.  He  took  it  in  his  head  that  Lord  Baltimore 
was  confined  in  the  tower  of  Troy,  as  he  called  it, 
went  down  into  the  hold,  and  after  he  had  there 
disgorged  what  was  upon  his  stomach,  he  went  to 
sleep  and  dreamt  about  it.  He  came  upon  deck  a 
little  before  sunset,  and  was  so  full  of  it  that  he 
hailed  each  vessel  that  passed  us,  and  told  it  as  a 
piece  of  news. 

We  had  a  fresh  westerly  wind  at  night,  which 

63 


died  away  at  ten  o'clock,  and  we  dropt  anchor  about 
forty  miles  above  York. 

Saturday,  June  2^d.—'We  weighed  anchor  about 
four  in  the  morning,  having  the  wind  northeast  and 
contrary,  and  the  tide  beginning  to  fall.  We  dropped 
anchor  again  at  seven.  Mr.  Van  Bummill  was 
early  upon  deck,  and  was  very  inquisitive  with  Mr. 
M  s  about  the  meaning  of  the  word  supersti- 
tion, saying  he  had  often  met  with  that  word  in 
English  books,  but  never  could  understand  what 
was  meant  by  it.  Then  he  read  us  the  26th  chapter 
of  the  Ecclesiasticus,  concerning  women,  and  after 
he  had  murdered  the  reading  in  the  English,  he 
read  it  from  the  Dutch  Bible,  and  lectured  upon  it 
at  large  to  the  passengers  and  crew,  and  tho'  he 
looked  himself  as  grave  as  a  parson,  yet  the  com- 
pany broke  frequently  out  into  fits  of  laughter. 

We  went  ashore  to  fill  water  near  a  small  log  cot- 
tage on  the  west  side  of  the  river  inhabited  by  one 
Stanespring  and  his  family.  The  man  was  about 
thirty-seven  years  of  age,  and  the  woman  thirty. 
They  had  seven  children,  girls  and  boys.  The  chil- 
dren seemed  quite  wild  and  rustic.    They  stared 

like  sheep  upon  M  s  and  me  when  we  entered 

the  house,  being  amazed  at  my  laced  hat  and  sword. 
They  went  out  to  gather  blackberries  for  us,  which 
was  the  greatest  present  they  could  make  us.  In 
return  for  which  we  distributed  among  them  a 
handful  of  copper  halfpence.  This  cottage  was 
very  clean  and  neat,  but  poorly  furnished,  yet  Mr. 

M  s  observed  several  superfluous  things  which 

showed  an  inclination  to  finery  in  these  poor  people ; 
such  as  a  looking-glass  with  a  painted  frame,  half 

64 


a  dozen  pewter  spoons,  and  as  many  plates,  old  and 
wore  out,  but  bright  and  clean,  a  set  of  stone  tea 

dishes  and  a  teapot.    These  Mr.  M  Is  said 

were  superfluous,  and  too  splendid  for  such  a  cot- 
tage, and  therefore  they  ought  to  be  sold  to  buy 
wool  to  make  yarn;  that  a  little  water  in  a  wooden 
pail  might  serve  for  a  looking-glass,  and  wooden 
plates  and  spoons  would  be  as  good  for  use,  and 
when  clean  would  be  almost  as  ornamental.  As  for 
the  tea  equipage  it  was  quite  unnecessary,  but  the 
man's  musket,  he  observed,  was  as  useful  a  piece  of 
furniture  as  any  in  the  cottage.  We  had  a  pail  of 
milk  here,  which  we  brought  on  board,  and  the  wind 
coming  southerly  at  eleven  o'clock,  we  weighed  an- 
chor, and  entered  the  Highlands,  which  presented  a 
wild,  romantic  scene  of  rocks  and  mountains,  cov- 
ered with  small  scraggy  wood,  mostly  oak. 


Anthony's  Nose— Cook's  Island 

We  passed  Dunder  Barrack,  or  Thunder  HilV  lar- 
board, at  half  an  hour  after  eleven,  and  another  hill, 
starboard,  called  Anthony's  Nose  from  its  resem- 
blance to  a  man's  nose,  under  which  lies  Cook's 
Island,^  being  a  small  rock  about  ten  paces  long  and 
five  broad,  upon  which  is  buried  a  certain  cook  of  a 
man-of-war,  from  whom  it  got  its  name.  His  sep- 
ulchre is  surrounded  with  ten  or  twelve  small  pine 
trees  about  twenty  feet  high,  which  make  a  grove 
over  him.  This  wild  and  solitary  place,  where  noth- 
ing presents  but  huge  precipices  and  inaccessible 

iThe  present  Dunderberg. 
2  Now  known  as  lona  Island. 


65 


steeps,  where  foot  of  man  never  was,  infused  in  my 
mind  a  kind  of  melancholy,  and  filled  my  imagina- 
tion with  odd  thoughts,  which  at  the  same  time  had 
something  pleasant  in  them. 

It  was  pretty  to  see  the  springs  of  water  run 
down  the  rocks,  and  what  entertained  me  not  a  little 
was  to  observe  some  pretty  large  oaks  growing 
there,  and  their  roots  to  appearance  fixed  in  noth- 
ing but  the  solid  stone,  where  you  see  not  the  least 
grain  of  mould  or  earth.  The  river  is  so  deep  in 
these  Narrows  of  the  Highlands  that  a  large  sloop 
may  sail  close  upon  the  shore.  We  kept  so  near 
that  the  extremity  of  our  boom  frequently  rustled 
among  the  leaves  of  the  hanging  branches  from  the 
bank.  In  some  places  of  the  channel  here,  there 
are  ninety  fathoms  water,  and  very  near  the  shore 
in  several  places  seventy  or  sixty  fathoms. 

Hay  Ruck 

We  passed  the  Hay  Ruck,^  a  hill  so  called  from  its 
resemblance,  upon  our  starboard  at  dinner  time. 
There  are  several  cottages  here  so  very  small  that 
a  man  can  scarce  stand  upright  in  them,  and  you 
would  think  that  a  strong  fellow  would  carry  his 
wooden  hut  upon  his  back. 


Doepper's  Island 

About  three  in  the  afternoon  we  cleared  the  High- 
lands, and  left  a  small  island  called  Doepper's,  or 

1  Presumably  the  present  Canada  Hill. 

66 


Dipper's  Island^  to  the  starboard.  It  is  so  named 
because,  they  say,  it  has  been  customary  to  dip 
strangers  here,  unless  they  make  the  sloop's  crew 
drink,  and  by  that  they  save  their  dipping  and  are 
made  free  in  the  river.  Wherefore,  as  I  never  had 
been  that  way  before,  I  saved  my  dipping  with  a 
bottle  of  wine  which  I  spared  them  from  my  stores. 


Butter  Mountain— Murder  Creek 

At  four  o'clock  we  passed  the  Butter  Mountain^  on 
our  larboard,  above  which  is  Murder  Creek,^  so 
called  from  a  massacre  of  the  white  men  that  was 
committed  by  the  Indians  at  the  first  settlement  of 
the  part. 

Dancing  Hall 

At  six  o'clock  we  passed  Dancing  Hall,  larboard,  a 
little  square  and  level  promontory,  which  runs  about 
fifty  paces  into  the  river,  overgrown  with  bushes, 
where  they  report,  about  sixty  or  seventy  years  ago, 
some  young  people  from  Albany,  making  merry 
and  dancing,  were  killed  by  some  Indians,  who  lay 
in  ambush  in  the  woods.  We  had  a  discourse  this 
evening  from  Van  Bummill  about  the  Tower  of 
Babel,  which  was  his  constant  and  darling  theme. 
He  told  us  that,  in  all  his  reading,  he  never  could 
be  informed  of  the  height  of  it,  and,  as  to  its  figure, 

1  This  was  formerly  designated  as  Potladle  Island  ;  now  called  Polopel 
Island. 

2  Situated  south  of  Moodna  Creek,  northwest  of  the  present  Cornwall 
on  the  Hudson. 

3  Now  known  as  Moodna  Creek. 


67 


he  was  pretty  certain  of  that  from  the  pictures  of 
it  which  he  had  seen.  When  he  had  finished  his 
argument,  he  got  to  talking  a  medley  of  Dutch  and 
English  to  the  women,  which  confusion  of  lan- 
guage was  apropos  after  he  had  been  busy  about 
the  Tower  of  Babel.  The  learned  Van  Bummill 
and  the  two  Dutch  women  left  us  at  seven  o'clock, 
going  ashore  to  a  place  two  miles  below  Pough- 
capsy,^  where  they  lived. 

POUGHCAPSY 

We  anchored  at  eight  o'clock  at  the  entry  of  that 
part  of  the  river  called  Long  Reach,^  the  weather 
being  very  thick  and  rainy,  and  close  by  us  on  the 
starboard  side  stood  a  small  village  called  Pough- 
capsy,  where  the  master  and  hands  went  ashore 
and  left  us  to  keep  the  sloop. 

Sunday,  June  24th.— At  four  in  the  morning  Mr. 

M  s  and  I  went  ashore  to  the  tavern,  and  there 

we  met  with  a  justice  of  the  peace  and  a  New-light 
tailor.  The  justice  seemed  to  have  the  greatest 
half  or  all  the  learning  of  the  county  in  his  face, 
but  so  soon  as  he  spoke,  we  found  that  he  was  no 
more  learned  than  other  men.  The  tailor's  phiz 
was  screwed  up  to  a  satisfied  pitch,  and  he  seemed 
to  be  either  under  great  sorrow  for  his  sins  or  else 
a-hatching  some  mischief  in  his  heart,  for  I  have 
heard  that  your  hypocritical  rogues  always  put 
on  their  most  solemn  countenance  or  vizard, 
when  they  are  contriving  how  to  perpetrate  their 

1  Intended  for  Poughkeepsie. 

2^ong  Reach— long  stretch  of  the  Hudson. 

68 


villanies.  We  soon  discovered  that  this  tailor  was  a 
Moravian, 

The  Moravians  are  a  wild,  fanatick  sect  with 
which  both  this  place  and  the  Jerseys  are  pestered. 
They  live  in  common,  men  and  women  mixed  in  a 
great  house  or  barn,  where  they  sometimes  eat  and 
drink,  sometimes  sleep,  and  sometimes  preach  and 
howl,  but  are  quite  idle,  and  will  employ  themselves 
in  no  useful  work.  They  think  all  things  should 
be  in  common,  and  say  that  religion  is  entirely  cor- 
rupted by  being  too  much  blended  with  the  laws  of 
the  country.  They  call  their  religion  the  true  re- 
ligion, or  the  religion  of  the  Lamb,  and  they  com- 
monly term  themselves  the  followers  of  the  Lamb, 
which  I  believe  is  true,  in  so  far  as  some  of  them 
may  be  wolves  in  sheep's  clothing.  This  sect  was 
first  founded  by  a  German  enthusiast.  Count  Zen- 
zindorfif,  who  used  to  go  about  some  years  ago  and 
persuade  the  people  to  his  opinions  and  drop  a  cer- 
tain catechism,  which  he  had  published,  upon  the 
highway.  They  received  a  considerable  strength 
and  addition  to  their  numbers  by  Whitefield's 
preaching  in  these  parts,  but  now  are  upon  the  de- 
cline, since  there  is  no  opposition  made  to  them. 

Mr.  M  Is  and  I  anatomized  this  Moravian 

tailor  in  his  own  hearing,  and  yet  he  did  not  know 
of  it,  for  we  spoke  Latin.  He  asked  what  language 
that  was.  The  justice  told  him  he  believed  it  was 
Latin,  at  which  the  cabbager  sighed  and  said  it  was 
a  pagan  language.  We  treated  him,  however,  with 
a  dram,  and  went  from  the  tavern  to  one  Carde- 
vitz's,  who  having  the  rheumatism  in  his  arm,  asked 
my  advice,  which  I  gave  him.  The  land  here  is 
high  and  woody,  and  the  air  very  cool. 

69 


Sopus  Village 

We  weighed  anchor  at  seven  o'clock,  with  the  wind 
southwest  and  fresh,  and  half  an  hour  after  passed 
by  Sopus,^  a  pleasant  village  situated  upon  the  west 
side  of  the  river,  famous  for  beer  and  ale. 


Little  Sopus  Island 

A  LITTLE  above  that  is  a  small  island  called  Little 
Sopus,^  which  is  about  half  way  betwixt  Albany  and 
York.  At  Sopus  we  passed  by  the  Governour's 
fleet,  consisting  of  three  painted  sloops.  That 
wherein  Clinton  was  had  the  union  flag  astern.  He 
had  been  at  Albany  treating  with  the  Indians. 


Blue  Mountains 

We  now  had  a  sight  of  the  range  of  mountains 
called  the  Catskill  or  Blue  Mountains,  bearing  pretty 
near  N.  W.  and  capped  with  clouds.  Here  the  river 
is  about  two  miles  broad,  and  the  land  low,  green, 
and  pleasant.  Large  open  fields,  and  thickets  of 
woods,  alternately  mixed,  entertain  the  eye  with 
variety  of  landscips. 

Ancrum 

At  twelve  o'clock  we  sailed  by  Ancrum,^  starboard, 
the  seat  of  Mr.  Livingston,  a  lawyer,  where  he  has 

1  The  present  Esopus. 

2  The  present  Esopus  Island. 

3  Ancram. 


70 


a  fine  brick  house  standing  close  upon  the  river. 
The  wind  blew  very  high  at  southeast. 


Ransbeck 

At  half  an  hour  after  twelve  we  saw  the  town  of 
Ransbeck/  a  German  town,  starboard,  in  which  are 
two  churches. 

Livingston  Manor 

At  one  o'clock  we  scudded  by  Livingston  Manor, 
then  the  Catskill  Hills  bore  west  by  south.  At 
three  o'clock  we  sailed  by  a  Lutheran  chapel,  lar- 
board, where  we  could  see  the  congregation  dis- 
missing, divine  service  being  over. 

Carmine  Island 

At  four  o'clock  we  passed  by  Carmine  Island,^ 
about  three  miles  in  length. 

Nussman's  Island 

At  five  we  sailed  past  Nussman's  Island,^  starboard, 
where  there  is  a  small  nation  of  the  Mochacander 
Indians,  with  a  king  that  governs  them.  We  ran 
aground  upon  a  sandbank  at  half  an  hour  after  five 
o'clock,  and  by  hard  labour  got  clear  again  in  about 

1  Rhinebeck. 

2  Now  known  as  Hotaling  Island. 

3  Now  known  as  Lower  Schodack  Island. 


71 


an  hour.  This  was  a  great  disappointment  to  us,  for 
we  expected  that  night  to  reach  Albany.  There  came 
up  a  thunder  gust  as  soon  as  we  got  clear,  which 
obliged  us  to  furl  our  sails  and  fix  our  anchor ;  but 
it  soon  went  over,  so  with  a  small  wind  we  made 
three  miles  farther,  and  passed  a  sloop  bound  for 
York,  where  some  fine  folks  were  on  board.  At 
eight  o'clock  there  came  up  a  hard  storm  with  very 
sharp  thunder,  so  that  we  were  obliged  to  let  go 
our  anchor  again,  and  there  remain  all  night. 

Monday,  June  ^^th.—We  went  ashore  this  morning 
upon  a  farm  belonging  to  'Cobus  Ranslaer,^  brother 
to  the  Patroon^  at  Albany.  (James  by  the  Dutch 
appellation  is  'Cobus,  being  Jacobus  contracted.) 
There  is  here  a  fine  sawmill  that  goes  by  water. 


Prec  Stone 

At  seven  o'clock,  the  wind  being  southerly,  we 
hoised  anchor,  and,  sailing  up  the  river,  we  passed 
a  large  stone,  larboard,  called  Prec  Stone,  or  Preach- 
ing Stone,^  from  its  resemblance  to  a  pulpit.  We 
had  not  made  much  way,  before  the  wind  changed 
to  northwest,  so  we  resolved  to  go  to  Albany  in  the 
sloop's  canoe,  and  went  ashore  to  borrow  another 
to  carry  our  baggage.  We  found  the  poor  people 
there  in  great  terror  of  the  Indians,  they  being  ap- 

1  Jacobus  Van  Rensselaer ;  this  gentleman  was  not  a  member  of  the 
patroon  family. 

2  Jeremiah  Van  Rensselaer,  born  1705;  became  third  patroon  of  Rens- 
selaerwyck;  died  unmarried;  his  mother,  wife  of  Mr.  Miln,  was  a 
daughter  of  Stephen  Van  Cortlandt. 

*  Prec  Stone  or  Preaching  Stone,  called  at  that  time  The  Dominie's  Hook 
or  Rock ;  known  to-day  as  Van  Wie's  Point. 


72 


prehensive  that  they  would  begin  their  old  trade  of 
scalping. 

Albany 

We  set  off  in  the  canoes  at  nine  o'clock,  and  saw 
Albany  at  a  distance.   We  landed  upon  an  island/ 

belonging  to  Mr.  M  s,  upon  which  there  was 

fine  grass  of  different  sorts,  and  very  good  crops  of 
wheat  and  pease,  of  which  they  bring  up  great 
quantities  here  for  the  use  of  the  ships,— the  bug 
not  getting  into  their  pease  there  as  with  us.  These 
were  the  first  fields  of  pease  I  had  seen  since  I  left 
Britain.  We  met  several  Dutchmen  on  the  island, 
who  had  rented  morgans  of  land  upon  it ;  they  call 
half  an  acre  of  land  there  a  morgan. 

These  people  were  very  inquisitive  about  the  news, 
and  told  us  of  a  Frenchman  and  his  wife  that  had 
been  at  Albany  the  day  before  we  arrived.  They 
had  come  from  Canada,  and  it  was  they  we  saw  on 
board  the  sloop  that  passed  us  last  night.  The 
Frenchman  was  a  fugitive,  according  to  his  own  ac- 
count, and  said  he  had  been  a  priest,  and  was  ex- 
pelled from  his  convent  for  having  an  intrigue  with 
that  lady  who  was  now  his  wife.  The  lady  had 
been  prosecuted  at  law  and  had  lost  the  greatest  part 
of  her  estate,  which  went  amongst  these  cormorants, 
the  lawyers.  The  Governour  of  Canada,  Mons'r 
Bonharnois,^  being  her  enemy,  she  could  not  expect 
justice,  and  therefore  fled  with  this  priest  to  the 
English  settlements,  in  order  to  prevent  her  being 
entirely  beggared,  taking  the  residue  of  her  estate 
along  with  her. 

1  "  Mr.  M — s  (Miln's)  Island."  This  was  doubtless  the  present  Papscanee. 

2  The  Marquis  de  Beauharnois,  Governor  of  Canada  1726-1747. 

73 


This  Bonharnois  is  now  a  very  old  man,  and  they 
say  behaves  himself  tyrannically  in  this  govern- 
ment. He  was  a  courtier  in  Louis  XlVth's  time, 
and  then  went  by  the  name  of  Mons'r  Bon  Vit, 
which  being  an  ugly  name  in  the  French  language, 
the  King  changed  his  name  to  Bonharnois, 

This  day  there  came  some  Canada  Indians  in  two 
canoes  to  Albany  to  pursue  this  priest  and  his  lady, 
I5,cxx)  livres  were  laid  upon  each  of  their  heads  by 
the  Governour.  They  said  they  had  orders  to  bring 
back  the  priest,  dead  or  alive;  if  dead  to  scalp  him, 
and  take  the  consecrated  flesh  from  his  thumb  and 
forefinger.  The  lady  they  were  to  bring  back  alive ; 
but  they  came  too  late  to  catch  their  game. 

Mr.  M  s  imagined  that  all  this  story  was  a 

plausible  fiction,  and  that  the  Frenchman  was  sent 
among  them  as  a  spy;  but  this  conception  of  his  to 
me  seemed  improbable. 


Albany 

Tuesday,  June  Early  this  morning  I  went 

with  Mr.  M  s  to  Albany,  being  a  pleasant 

walk  of  two  miles  from  the  island.  We  went  a 
small  mile  out  of  town  to  the  house  of  Jeremiah 
Ranslaer,  who  is  dignified  here  with  the  title  of 
Patroon.  He  is  the  principal  landed  man  in  these 
parts,  having  a  large  manor,  forty-eight  miles  long 
and  twenty-four  broad,  bestowed  upon  his  great- 
grandfather by  King  Charles  the  Second,  after  his 
restoration.  The  old  man,  it  seems,  had  prophesied 
his  recovering  of  his  kingdoms  ten  years  before  it 


74 


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happened.  The  King  had  been  his  lodger  when  he 
was  in  Holland,  and  thereby  he  had  an  opportunity 
to  ingratiate  himself,  and  procure  the  royal  favour. 
This  manor  is  divided  into  two  equal  halves  by  Hud- 
son's River,  and  the  city  of  Albany  stands  in  the 
middle  of  it.  This  city  pays  him  a  good  yearly  rent 
for  the  liberty  of  cutting  their  firewood. 

The  Patroon  is  a  young  man,  of  a  good  mien  and 
presence.  He  is  a  bachelor,  nor  can  his  friends  per- 
suade him  to  marry.  By  paying  too  much  homage 
to  Bacchus,  he  has  acquired  a  hypochondriac  habit. 
He  has  a  great  number  of  tenants  upon  his  manor, 
and  he  told  me  himself  that  he  could  muster  600  men 

fit  to  bear  arms.    Mr.  M  s  and  I  dined  at  his 

house,  and  were  handsomely  entertained  with  good 
viands  and  wine.    After  dinner  he  showed  us  his 

garden  and  parks,  and  Mr.  M  s  got  into  one  of 

his  long  harangues  of  farming  and  improvement  of 
ground. 

At  four  o'clock  M  s  and  I  returned  to  town, 

where  M  s  having  a  general  acquaintance  (for 

he  had  practised  physick  ten  years  in  the  city,  and 
was  likewise  the  Church  of  England  minister  there), 
he  introduced  me  into  about  twenty  or  thirty  houses, 
where  I  went  thro'  the  farce  of  kissing  most  of  the 
women,  a  manner  of  salutation  which  is  expected 

(as  M  s  told  me)  from  strangers  coming  there. 

I  told  him  it  was  very  well,  if  he  led  the  way  I  should 
follow,  which  he  did  with  clerical  gravity.  This 
might  almost  pass  for  a  penance,  for  the  generality 
of  the  women  here,  both  old  and  young,  are  remark- 
ably ugly. 

At  night  we  went  to  the  island,  where  we  supped. 
While  we  were  at  supper  we  smelt  something  very 


75 


strong  like  burnt  oatmeal,  which  they  told  me  was  an 
animal  called  a  skunk,  the  urine  of  which  could  be 
smelt  at  a  great  distance,  something  of  the  nature 
of  the  polecat,  but  not  quite  so  disagreeable. 

Wednesday,  June  2yth.  —  l  went  this  morning  with 
the  Patroon's  brother,  Stephen  Ranslaer,^  to  see  the 
Cohoos,  a  great  fall  of  water  twelve  miles  above 
Albany. 


Cohoos 

The  water  falls  over  a  rock  almost  perpendicular, 
eighty  feet  high  and  nine  hundred  feet  broad,  and 
the  noise  of  it  is  easily  heard  at  four  miles'  distance; 
but  in  the  spring  of  the  year,  when  the  ice  breaks, 
it  is  heard  like  great  guns  all  the  way  at  Albany, 
There  is  a  fine  mist  scattered  about  where  it  falls, 
for  above  half  a  mile  below  it,  upon  which  when 
the  sun  shines  opposite  appears  a  pretty  rainbow. 
Near  the  fall  the  noise  is  so  great  that  you  cannot 
discern  a  man's  voice,  unless  he  hollows  pretty  loud. 
Below  the  fall  the  river  is  very  narrow  and  very 
deep,  running  in  a  rocky  channel.  There  is  a  bank 
of  solid  rock,  about  300  or  400  feet  wide,  as  smooth 
and  level  as  a  table. 

In  this  journey  we  met  a  Mohook  Indian  and  his 
family  going  a-hunting.  His  name  was  Solomon. 
He  had  a  squaw  with  him,  over  whom  he  seemed  to 
have  an  absolute  authority.  We  travelled  for  two 
miles  thro'  impenetrable  woods,  this  Indian  being 

1  Stephen  Van  Rensselaer,  second  son  of  Killian  Van  Rensselaer;  be- 
came fourth  patroon  of  Rensselaerwyck  on  the  death  of  his  brother  Jere- 
miah, in  1745. 

76 


our  guide,  and  when  we  came  to  the  banks  of  the 
river  near  the  falls  we  were  obliged  to  leave  our 
horses  and  descend  frightful  precipices.  One  might 
walk  across  the  river  on  foot  upon  the  top  of  the 
rock  whence  the  water  falls,  was  it  not  for  fear  of 
being  carried  down  by  the  force  of  the  water,  and 
Solomon  told  us  that  the  Indians  sometimes  run 
across  it  when  the  water  is  low. 


Mohocks  Town 

We  rid  at  a  pretty  hard  rate  fifteen  or  sixteen  miles 
farther  to  the  Mohooks  town,^  standing  upon  the 
same  river.  In  it  there  are  several  wooden  and 
brick  houses,  built  after  the  Dutch  fashion,  and 
some  Indian  wigwams  or  huts,  with  a  church  where 
one  Barclay  ^  preaches  to  a  congregation  of  Indians 
in  their  own  language,  for  the  bulk  of  the  Mohooks 
up  this  way  are  Christians. 

Returning  from  here  we  dined  at  Col.  Skuyler's,^ 
about  four  o'clock  in  the  afternoon,  who  is  natural- 
ized among  the  Indians,  can  speak  several  of  their 
languages,  and  has  lived  for  years  among  them. 
We  spent  part  of  the  evening  at  the  Patroon's,  and 
going  to  town  at  night  I  went  to  the  tavern  with 
Mr.  Livingston,  a  man  of  estate  and  interest  there, 
where  we  had  a  mixed  conversation. 

1  This  is  the  present  Schenectady. 

2  Rev.  Henry  Barclay,  graduate  of  Yale  ;  missionary  to  the  Mohawks 
1734-1746;  thereafter  rector  of  Trinity  Church,  New  York. 

3  Col.  Peter  Schuyler,  born  1710;  military  commander  in  the  French 
Wars;  died  1762.  His  house  is  still  standing  and  in  possession  of  the 
Schuyler  family. 

77 


Schenectady 


Thursday,  June  28th.— Early  this  morning  I  took 
horse,  and  went  in  company  with  one  ColHns,^  a  sur- 
veyor here,  to  a  village  called  Schenectady,  about 
sixteen  miles  from  Albany,  and  pleasantly  situated 
upon  the  Mohook  River. 

It  is  a  trading  village,  the  people  carrying  on  a 
traffick  with  the  Indians;  their  chief  commodities, — 
wampum,  knives,  needles,  and  other  such  pedlery 
ware.  This  village  is  pretty  near  as  large  as  Al- 
bany, and  consists  chiefly  of  brick  houses,  built  upon 
a  pleasant  plain,  enclosed  all  round  at  about  a  mile's 
distance,  with  thick  pine  woods.  These  woods 
form  a  copse  above  your  head,  almost  all  the  way 
betwixt  Albany  and  Schenectady,  and  you  ride  over 
a  plain,  level,  sandy  road  till,  coming  out  of  the 
covert  of  the  woods,  all  at  once  the  village  strikes 
surprisingly  your  eye,  which  I  can  compare  to  noth- 
ing but  the  curtain  rising  in  a  play  and  displaying  a 
beautiful  scene. 

We  returned  to  M  s's  island,  from  whence 

between  twelve  and  one  o'clock  I  went  to  Albany  in 
a  canoe,  the  day  being  somewhat  sultry,  tho'  in  this 
latitude  the  heats  are  tolerable  to  what  they  are  two 
or  three  degrees  to  the  southward,  the  mornings 
and  evenings  all  summer  long  being  cool  and  pleas- 
ant, but  often,  about  noon  and  for  three  hours  after, 
the  sun  is  very  hot, 

I  went  to  see  the  school  in  this  city,  in  which  are 
about  200  scholars,  boys  and  girls.  I  dined  at  the 
Patroon's;  after  dinner  Mr.  Shakesburrough,  sur- 
geon to  the  fort,  came  in,  who  by  his  conversation 

1  Edward  Collins,  Esq. 
78 


seemed  to  have  as  little  of  the  quack  in  him  as  any 
half-hewn  doctor  ever  I  had  met  with.  The  doctors 
in  Albany  are  mostly  Dutch,  all  empirics,  having  no 
knowledge  or  learning  but  what  they  have  acquired 
by  bare  experience.  They  study  chiefly  the  virtues 
of  herbs,  and  the  woods  there  furnish  their  shops 
with  all  the  pharmacy  they  use,  A  great  many  of 
them  take  the  care  of  a  family  for  the  value  of  a 
Dutch  dollar  a  year,  which  makes  the  practice  of 
physick  a  mean  thing,  and  unworthy  of  the  appli- 
cation of  a  gentleman.  The  doctors  here  are  all 
barbers. 

This  afternoon  I  went  a-visiting  with  M  s, 

and  had  the  other  kissing  bout  to  go  thro'.  We 
went  at  night  to  Stephen  Ranslaer's,  where  we 
supped. 

Friday,  June  2pth. —Aiter  breakfast  I  walked  out 

with  M  s,  and  visited  some  more  old  women, 

where  I  had  occasion  to  prescribe  and  enter  into  a 
dispute  with  a  Dutch  doctor.  Mr.  M  s's  ges- 
ture in  common  discourse  often  afforded  me  subject 
of  speculation.  At  every  the  least  trifling  expres- 
sion and  common  sentence  in  discourse,  he  would 
shrug  up  his  shoulders,  and  stare  one  in  the  face  as 
if  he  had  uttered  some  very  wonderful  thing,  and 
he  would  do  the  same  while  another  person  spoke, 
tho'  he  expressed  nothing  but  common  chat.  By 
this  means  it  was  hard  to  tell  when  anything  struck 
his  fancy,  for  by  this  odd  habit  he  had  contracted 
in  his  gesture,  everything  seemed  alike  to  raise  his 
admiration.  About  this  time  one  Kuyler,*  the 
mayor  of  the  city,  was  suspected  of  trading  with 

1  Cornelius  Cuyler,  mayor  of  Albany  1 742-1 746. 


79 


the  Canada  Indians,  and  selling  powder  to  them. 
The  people  in  town  spoke  pretty  openly  of  it, 
and  the  thing  coming  to  Governour  Clinton's 
ears,  he  made  him  give  security  for  his  appearance 
at  the  General  Court,  to  have  the  affair  tried  and 
canvassed. 

I  went  before  dinner  with  M  s,  and  saw  the 

inside  of  the  Town-house.^  The  great  hall  where 
the  court  sits  is  about  forty  feet  long  and  thirty 
broad.  This  is  a  clumsy,  heavy  building,  both  with- 
out and  within.  We  went  next  and  viewed  the 
workmen  putting  up  new  palisading  or  stoccadoes 
to  fortify  the  town,  and  at  ten  o'clock  we  walked  to 
the  island,  and  returned  to  town  again  at  twelve. 

Mr.  M  s  and  I  dined  upon  cold  gammon  at  one 

Stevenson's,  a  Scots  gentleman  of  some  credit  there. 
We  drank  tea  at  Steph.  Ranslaer's,  and  supped  at 
widow  Skuyler's,  where  the  conversation  turned 
upon  the  Moravian  enthusiasts  and  their  doctrines. 

Saturday,  June  ^oth.— In  the  morning  I  went  with 

M  s  to  make  some  more  visits,  of  which  I  was 

now  almost  tired.  Among  others  we  went  to  see 
Dr.  Rosaboom,^  one  of  the  Dutch  medicasters  of  the 
place,  a  man  of  considerable  practice  in  administer- 
ing physick  and  shaving.  He  had  a  very  volum- 
inous Dutch  Herbalist  lying  on  the  table  before  him, 
being  almost  a  load  for  a  London  porter.  The  sight 
of  this  made  me  sick,  especially  when  I  understood 
it  was  writ  in  High  Dutch.  I  imagined  the  con- 
tents of  it  were  very  weighty  and  ponderous,  as  well 

1  The  Town-house  formerly  stood  at  the  corner  of  the  present  Broadway 
and  Hudson  Avenue;  this  is  the  building  in  which  the  first  American  Con- 
gress was  held  in  1754. 

2  Dr.  Roseboom,  Albany  physician. 

80 


as  the  book  itself.  It  was  writ  by  one  Rumpertus 
Dodonceus.  From  this  book  Rosaboom  had  ex- 
tracted all  his  learning  in  physick,  and  he  could 
quote  no  other  author  but  the  great  infallible  Rum- 
pertus, as  he  styled  him.  His  discourse  to  us  tended 
very  much  to  self-commendation,  being  an  historical 
account  of  cases  in  surgery,  where  he  had  had  sur- 
prising success. 

At  ten  o'clock  M  s  and  I  went  to  the  island, 

where  we  dined,  and  M  s,  being  hot  with  walk- 
ing, went  to  drink  his  cool  water  as  usual,  which 
brought  an  ague  upon  him,  and  he  was  obliged  to 
go  to  bed.  In  the  meantime  the  old  woman  and  I 
conversed  for  half  an  hour  about  a  rural  life  and 
good  husbandry.  At  three  o'clock  I  walked  abroad 
to  view  the  island,  and  sitting  under  a  willow  near 
the  water,  I  was  invited  to  sleep,  but  scarce  had  I 
enjoyed  half  an  hour's  repose,  when  I  was  waked 
by  a  cow  that  was  eating  up  my  handkerchief,  which 
I  had  put  under  my  head.  I  pursued  her  for  some 
time  before  I  recovered  it,  when  I  suppose  the  snuff 
in  it  made  her  disgorge,  but  it  was  prettily  pinked 
all  over  with  holes. 

I  went  to  the  house  and  drank  tea  and  then  walked 

to  town  with  M  s.    On  the  way  we  met  an  old 

man  who  goes  by  the  name  of  Scots  Willie.  He 
had  been  a  soldier  in  the  garrison,  but  was  now  dis- 
charged as  an  invalid.  He  told  us  he  had  been  at 
the  battle  of  Killiecrankie  in  Scotland,  upon  the  side 
where  Lord  Dundee  fought,  and  that  he  saw  him 
fall  in  the  battle. 

We  supped  by  invitation  at  the  tavern  with  some 
of  the  chief  men  in  the  city,  it  being  muster  day,  and 
a  treat  given  by  the  officers  of  the  fort  to  the  muster 

8i 


masters.  There  were  Messrs.  Kuyler  *  the  Mayor, 
Tansbrook  ^  the  Recorder,  Holland  the  Sheriff,^  Sur- 
veyor Collins/  Captain  Blood/  Captain  Haylin  ®  of 
the  Fort,  and  several  others.  The  conversation  was 
rude  and  clamorous,  but  the  viands  and  wine  were 
good.  We  had  news  of  the  French  having  taken 
another  small  fort,  besides  Cansoe.  I  walked  with 
M  s  to  ye  island  at  ten  at  night. 

Sunday,  July  ist.—AX.  six  o'clock  this  morning  a 
sharp  thunder  gust  came  up  with  a  heavy  rain.  I 
breakfasted  at  the  island,  and  went  to  town  with 

M  s  and  his  wife.    At  ten  o'clock  we  went  to 

the  English  Church,^  where  was  the  meanest  congre- 
gation ever  I  beheld,  there  not  being  above  fifteen 
or  twenty  in  church,  besides  the  soldiers  of  the  fort, 

who  sat  in  a  gallery.    M  s  preached  and  gave 

us  an  indifferent  good  discourse  against  worldly 
riches,  the  text  being,  "It  is  easier  for  a  cable 
[camel]  to  pass  thro'  the  eye  of  a  needle  than  for  a 
rich  man  to  enter  the  kingdom  of  heaven."  This 
discourse,  he  told  me,  was  calculated  for  the  natural 
vice  of  that  people,  which  was  avarice,  and  particu- 
larly for  Mr.  Livingston,®  a  rich  but  very  covetous 
man  in  town,  who  valued  himself  much  for  his 
riches.  But  unfortunately  Livingston  did  not  come 
to  church  to  hear  his  reproof. 

1  Cornelius  Cuyler.    (See  previous  note.) 

2  Dirck  Tenbroeck,  later  mayor  of  Albany. 

3  Henry  Holland,  three  times  sheriff  of  Albany  County. 

*  Edward  Collins. 

5  Captain  Blood,  nephew  of  Thomas  Blood. 

*  Perhaps  William  Haylingh. 

The  English  Church,  known  as  Saint  Peter's  Episcopal  Church,  erected 
1 714;  the  present  church  stands  on  the  site  of  the  old  one,  on  the  comer 
of  Church  and  Lodge  Streets. 

*  Philip  Livingston,  second  patroon  of  Livingston  Manor. 

82 


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At  twelve  o'clock  another  thunder  gust  came  up. 
We  dined  at  Stephen  Ranslaer's/  and  made  several 
visits  in  the  afternoon.  Among  the  rest  we  went  to 
see  Captain  Blood,  of  the  fort.  He  is  nephew  to  the 
famous  Blood  ^  that  stole  the  Crown.  This  man  is 
a  downright  old  soldier,  having  in  his  manner  an 
agreeable  mixture  of  roughness  and  civility.  He  ex- 
pressed a  strong  regard  for  the  memory  of  the 
Duke  of  Berwick,^  of  whose  death,  when  he  heard, 
he  could  not  forbear  crying,  for  tho'  he  was  an 
enemy  to  his  master,  the  King  of  England,  yet 
was  he  a  brave  and  a  generous  man,  for  when  he 
and  several  other  English  officers  were  taken  pris- 
oners in  battle  by  the  French,  the  duke  generously 
gave  them  liberty  upon  their  parole,  and  lent  or 
indeed  gave  them  ten  pistoles  apiece  to  furnish 
their  pockets  when  they  were  quite  bare  of  money. 
This  spirit  of  gratitude  in  the  old  man  pleased  me 
very  much,  and  made  me  conceive  a  good  opinion 
of  him,  gratitude  being  a  certain  criterion  or  mark 
of  a  generous  mind. 

After  visiting  him  we  went  to  Captain  Haylin's 
house,  who  received  us  very  civilly,  but  not  in  such 
a  polite  manner  as  Captain  Blood.  He  told  us  he 
had  been  a  dragoon  at  the  siege  of  Namur  in  King 
William's  time  and  was  then  twenty  years  old, 
which  makes  him  an  older  man  than  Blood,  whose 
first  campaign  was  the  battle  of  Almanza. 

I  observed  the  streets  of  this  city  to  be  most 

1  Stephen  Van  Rensselaer. 

2  In  1671  Thomas  Blood,  an  Irishman,  attempted  to  steal  the  Crown 
Jewels  from  the  Tower.  Walter  Scott  introduces  him  into  Peveril  of  the 
Peak. 

3  James  Fitzjames,  illegitimate  son  of  James  Duke  of  York,  born  1670, 
created  Duke  of  Berwick  1687,  later  commander-in-chief  of  the  forces  of 
King  James  II. 

83 


crowded  upon  Sunday  evening,  especially  with 
women.    We  supped  at  Stephen  Ranslaer's. 

Monday,  July  2d.— I  now  began  to  be  quite  tired  of 
this  place,  where  there  was  no  variety  or  choice, 
either  of  company  or  conversation,  and  one's  ears 
perpetually  invaded  and  molested  with  volleys  of 
rough-sounding  Dutch,  which  is  the  language  most 
in  use  here.  I  therefore  spoke  to  one  WendalV 
master  of  a  sloop,  which  was  to  sail  this  evening  for 
York,  and  took  my  passage  in  him.  I  laid  in  a 
stock  of  provisions  for  the  voyage  at  one  Miller's, 
a  sergeant  of  the  fort,  who  keeps  the  tavern,  and 
where  my  landlady,  happening  to  be  a  Scotswoman, 
was  very  civil  and  obliging  to  me  for  country's  sake. 
She  made  me  a  present  of  a  dried  tongue.  As  I 
talked  with  her  a  certain  ragged  fellow  came  bluntly 
up,  and  took  me  by  the  hand,  naming  me.  "Sir," 
says  he,  "there  is  a  gentleman  here  in  town  who 
says  he  knows  you,  and  has  been  in  your  garden  at 
Annapolis  in  Maryland,  when  he  lived  with  one  Mr. 
Dulany^  there.  He  swears  by  G — d  he  would  be 
glad  to  see  you  to  talk  a  little  or  so,  as  it  were, 
about  friends  and  acquaintances  there.  He  bid  me 
tell  you  so,  and  damme,  says  I,  if  I  don't,  so  I  hope 
the  gentleman  won't  be  offended."  I  told  him  no, 
there  was  no  offence,  but  bid  him  give  my  service 
to  my  friend,  and  tell  him  I  was  now  in  a  hurry,  and 
could  not  wait  upon  him,  but  some  other  time  would 
do  as  well.  So,  giving  this  orator  a  dram,  I  went 
and  drank  half  a  pint  with  the  Captains  Blood  and 
Haylin,  and  walked  to  the  island,  where  I  dined. 

1  Probably  John  Hermanus  Wendel. 

2  Daniel  Dulany,  the  elder,  died  1753;  a  very  eminent  citizen  of  Mary- 
land; Hamilton  later  married  his  daughter  Mary. 

84 


In  the  afternoon  I  read  Rollin's  Belles  Lettres. 
The  day  was  hazy  and  threatened  rain  very  much. 
At  half  an  hour  after  two  o'clock  I  saw  Wendall's 
sloop  falling  down  the  river,  with  the  tide,  and  they 
having  given  me  the  signal  of  a  gun,  which  was 
agreed  upon,  they  sent  their  canoe  for  me.  At 

three  o'clock  I  took  my  leave  of  M  s  and  his 

wife,  thanking  them  for  all  their  civilities  and  the 
hospitality  I  had  met  with  in  their  house.  I  fol- 
lowed the  sloop  for  near  two  miles  in  the  canoe, 
before  I  overtook  her,  and  went  on  board  half  an 
hour  after  three. 

We  had  scarce  been  half  an  hour  under  sail  after 
I  came  on  board  when  we  ran  aground  upon  some 
shoals  about  a  mile  above  the  oversleigh  ^  and  dropt 
anchor,  till  after  six,  the  tide  rising,  we  were  afloat 
again,  and  went  down,  with  the  windN.byE., — rainy. 

There  was  a  negro  fellow  on  board,  who  told  me 
he  was  a  piece  of  a  fiddler,  and  played  some  scrap- 
ing tunes  to  one  Wilson,  who  had  come  on  board 
of  us  in  a  canoe.  This  was  an  impudent  fellow. 
He  accosted  me  with  "How  do  you,  countryman?" 
at  first  sight,  and  told  me  he  was  a  Scotsman,  but  I 
soon  found  by  his  howl  in  singing  the  Black  Jock  to 
the  negro  fiddle  that  he  was  a  genuine  Teague.  He 
told  me  some  clever  lies,  and  claimed  kin  to  Arn- 
caple  in  Scotland.  He  said  he  had  an  estate  of 
houses  by  heritage  in  Glasgow,  swore  he  was  born 
a  gentleman  for  five  generations,  and  never  intended 
for  the  plough;  therefore  he  had  come  to  push  his 
fortune  in  these  parts. 

At  seven  o'clock  we  reached  the  oversleigh,  and 
there  ran  aground  again.    In  the  meantime  a  Dutch 

1  A  bar  to  navigation. 
85 


gentleman,  one  Volckert  Douw,  came  on  board  a 
passenger,  and  I  flattered  myself  I  should  not  be 
quite  alone,  but  enjoy  some  conversation;  but  I  was 
mistaken,  for  the  devil  a  word  but  Dutch  was  ban- 
died about  betwixt  the  sailors  and  him,  and  in  gen- 
eral there  was  such  a  medley  of  Dutch  and  English 
as  would  have  tired  a  horse.  We  heaved  out  our 
anchor,  and  got  oft  the  shoal  at  half  an  hour  after 
seven,  so  got  clear  of  the  oversleigh,  the  only  trouble- 
some part  in  the  whole  voyage.  We  sailed  four 
miles  below  it,  the  wind  northeast  and  the  night 
very  rainy  and  dark.  We  dropt  anchor  at  nine  at 
night  and  went  to  bed. 

The  city  of  Albany  lies  on  the  west  side  of  Hud- 
son's River  upon  a  rising  hill  about  thirty  or  forty 
miles  below  where  the  river  comes  out  of  the  lake, 
and  1 60  miles  above  New  York.  The  hill  whereon 
it  stands  faces  the  southeast.  The  city  consists  of 
three  pretty  compact  streets,  two  of  which  run  paral- 
lel to  the  river,  and  are  pretty  broad,  and  the  third 
cuts  the  other  two  at  right  angles,  running  up  to- 
wards the  fort,  which  is  a  square  stone  building, 
about  200  feet  square,  with  a  bastion  at  each  corner, 
each  bastion  mounting  eight  or  ten  great  guns,  most 
of  them  thirty-two  pounders.  In  the  fort  are  two 
large  brick  houses  facing  each  other,  where  there  is 
lodging  for  the  soldiers. 

There  are  three  market  houses  in  this  city,  and 
three  public  edifices,  upon  two  of  which  are  cupolas 
or  spires,  viz.,  upon  the  Townhouse  and  the  Dutch 
church.  The  English  church  is  a  great,  heavy 
stone  building  without  any  steeple,  standing  just 
below  the  fort. 

The  greatest  length  of  the  streets  is  half  a  mile. 

86 


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In  the  fort  is  kept  a  garrison  of  300  men  under 
the  King's  pay,  who  now  and  then  send  reinforce- 
ments to  Oswego,  a  frontier  garrison  and  trading 
town,  lying  about  180  miles  south  and  by  west  of 
Albany.  This  city  is  enclosed  by  a  rampart  or  wall 
of  wooden  palisadoes,  about  ten  feet  high  and  a  foot 
thick,  being  the  trunks  of  pine-trees  rammed  into 
the  ground,  pinned  close  together,  and  ending  each 
in  a  point  at  top.  Here  they  call  them  stoccadoes. 
At  each  200  feet  distance,  round  this  wall  is  a  block 
house,  and  from  the  north  gate  of  the  city  runs  a 
thick  stone  wall  down  into  the  river,  200  feet  long, 
at  each  end  of  which  is  a  block  house.  In  these 
block  houses  about  fifty  of  the  city  militia  keep 
guard  every  night,  and  the  word  all's  well  walks 
constantly  round  all  night  long  from  sentry  to  sen- 
try and  round  the  fort.  There  are  five  or  six  gates 
to  this  city,  the  chief  of  which  are  the  north  and  the 
south  gates.  In  the  city  are  about  4,000  inhab- 
itants, mostly  Dutch  or  of  Dutch  extract. 

The  Dutch  here  keep  their  houses  very  neat  and 
clean,  both  without  and  within.  Their  chamber 
floors  are  generally  laid  with  rough  plank,  which 
in  time,  by  constant  rubbing  and  scrubbing,  be- 
comes as  smooth  as  if  it  had  been  planed.  Their 
chambers  and  rooms  are  large  and  handsome.  They 
have  their  beds  generally  in  alcoves,  so  that  you 
may  go  thro'  all  the  rooms  of  a  great  house  and 
see  never  a  bed.  They  aflfect  pictures  much,  par- 
ticularly scripture  history,  with  which  they  adorn 
their  rooms.  They  set  out  their  cabinets  and  buf- 
fets much  with  china.  Their  kitchens  are  like- 
wise very  clean,  and  there  they  hang  earthen  or 
delft  plates  and  dishes  all  round  the  walls,  in  man- 

87 


ner  of  pictures,  having  a  hole  drilled  thro'  the 
edge  of  the  plate  or  dish,  and  a  loop  of  ribbon  put 
into  it  to  hang  it  by;  but  notwithstanding  all  this 
nicety  and  cleanliness  in  their  houses  they  are  in 
their  persons  slovenly  and  dirty.  They  live  here 
very  frugally  and  plain,  for  the  chief  merit  among 
them  seems  to  be  riches,  which  they  spare  no  pains 
or  trouble  to  acquire,  but  are  a  civil  and  hospitable 
people  in  their  way,  but  at  best  rustic  and  unpol- 
ished. 

I  imagined  when  I  first  came  there  that  there 
were  some  very  rich  people  in  the  place.  They 
talked  of  thirty,  forty,  fifty,  and  a  hundred  thousand 
pounds  as  of  nothing,  but  I  soon  found  that  their 
riches  consisted  more  in  large  tracts  of  land  than 
in  cash. 

They  trade  pretty  much  with  the  Indians,  and 
have  their  manufactories  for  wampum,  a  good 
Indian  commodity.  It  is  of  two  sorts,— the  black, 
which  is  the  most  valuable,  and  the  white  wampum. 
The  first  kind  is  a  bead  made  out  of  the  bluish  black 
part  of  a  clam  shell.  It  is  valued  at  six  shillings, 
York  money,  per  one  hundred  beads.  The  white  is 
made  of  a  conch  shell  from  the  West  Indies,  and  is 
not  so  valuable.  They  grind  the  beads  to  a  shape 
upon  a  stone,  and  then  with  a  well-tempered  needle 
dipped  in  wax  and  tallow  they  drill  a  hole  thro' 
each  bead.  This  trade  is  apparently  trifling,  but 
would  soon  make  an  estate  to  a  man  that  could  have 
a  monopoly  of  it,  being  in  perpetual  demand  among 
the  Indians,  from  their  custom  of  burying  quantities 
of  it  with  their  dead.  They  are  very  fond  of  it, 
and  they  will  give  skins  or  money  or  anything  for 
it,  having  (tho'  they  first  taught  the  art  of  making 

88 


it  to  the  Europeans)  lost  the  art  of  making  it  them- 
selves. 

They  live  in  their  houses  in  Albany  as  if  it  were 
in  prisons,  all  their  doors  and  windows  being  per- 
petually shut.  But  the  reason  of  this  may  be  the 
little  desire  they  have  for  conversation  and  society, 
their  whole  thoughts  being  turned  upon  profit  and 
gain,  which  necessarily  makes  them  live  retired  and 
frugal.  At  least  this  is  the  common  character  of 
the  Dutch  everywhere.  But  indeed  the  excessive 
cold  winters  here  oblige  them  in  that  season  to  keep 
all  snug  and  close,  and  they  have  not  summer  suffi- 
cient to  revive  heat  in  their  veins,  so  as  to  make 
them  uneasy  or  put  it  in  their  heads  to  air  them- 
selves. They  are  a  healthy,  long-lived  people,  many 
in  this  city  being  in  age  near  or  above  lOO  years, 
and  eighty  is  a  very  common  age.  They  are  sub- 
ject to  rotten  teeth  and  scorbutic  gums,  which,  I 
suppose,  is  caused  by  the  cold  air,  and  their  constant 
diet  of  salt  provisions  in  the  winter ;  for  in  that  sea- 
son they  are  obliged  to  lay  in,  as  for  a  sea  voyage, 
there  being  no  stirring  out  of  doors  then  for  fear  of 
never  stirring  again.  As  to  religion  they  have  little 
of  it  among  them,  and  of  enthusiasm  not  a  grain. 
The  bulk  of  them,  if  anything,  are  of  the  Lutheran 
Church. 

Their  women  in  general,  both  old  and  young,  are 
the  hardest  favoured  ever  I  beheld.  Their  old 
women  wear  a  comical  head-dress,  large  pendants, 
short  petticoats,  and  they  stare  upon  one  like 
witches. 

They  generally  eat  to  their  morning's  tea  raw 
hung  beef,  sliced  down  in  thin  chips  in  the  manner 
of  parmesan  cheese.    Their  winter  here  is  excessive 

89 


cold,  so  as  to  freeze  their  cattle  stiff  in  one  night  in 
the  stables. 

To  this  city  belong  about  twenty-four  sloops  about 
fifty  tons  burden,  that  go  and  come  to  York.  They 
chiefly  carry  plank  and  rafters.  The  country  about 
is  very  productive  of  hay  and  good  grain,  the  woods 
not  much  cleared. 

The  neighbouring  Indians  are  the  Mohooks  to 
the  northwest,  the  Canada  Indians  to  the  north- 
ward, and  to  the  southward  a  small  scattered  nation 
of  the  Mohackanders.^ 

The  young  men  here  call  their  sweethearts  luf- 
fees,  and  a  young  fellow  of  eighteen  is  reckoned  a 
simpleton  if  he  has  not  a  luffee;  but  their  women 
are  so  homely  that  a  man  must  never  have  seen  any 
other  luffees  else  they  will  never  entrap  him. 

Tuesday,  July  jrf. — We  sailed  for  some  time  betwixt 
one  and  three  in  the  morning,  and  then,  the  tide 
turning  against  us,  we  dropt  anchor. 

Nussman's  Island 

We  weighed  at  six  in  the  morning  and  passed  Nuss- 
man's  Island,  larboard, — wind  north  and  by  east. 
At  half  an  hour  after  seven  we  met  two  sloops  from 
York  by  whom  we  had  news  of  a  French  privateer 
taken  by  Captain  Ting,  master  of  the  Boston  galley. 

Kenderhuick— Vanskruik 
At  nine  o'clock  we  passed  the  Kenderhuick,^  lar- 

1  Probably  Mohicans.     2  The  present  Kinderhook. 
90 


board,  and  a  little  below  on  the  same  side  a  small 
peninsula  called  Vanskruik/  where  stood  a  farm 
house,  and  the  fields  were  covered  with  good  grain 
and  hay.  About  this  time  two  Dutchmen  in  a  bat- 
teau  came  on  board  of  us,  and  fastened  the  batteau 
to  the  sloop's  side.  The  wind  freshened  up  and 
was  fair. 

Blue  Mountains 

We  could  now  observe  the  Catskill  Mountains  bear- 
ing southwest,  starboard.  At  half  an  hour  after 
ten,  the  wind  freshened  so  much  that  the  batteau 
broke  loose  from  the  sloop  and  overset,  and  one 
of  the  Dutchmen  that  was  stepping  down  to  save 
her  was  almost  drowned.  The  fellows  scampered 
away  for  blood  in  our  canoe  to  recover  their  cargo 
and  loading,  which  was  all  afloat  upon  the  water, 
consisting  of  old  jackets,  breeches,  bags,  wallets, 
and  buckets.  This  kept  us  back  some  miles,  for  we 
were  obliged  to  drop  our  anchor  to  stay  for  our 
canoe.  They  picked  up  all  their  goods  and  chattels 
again,  excepting  a  small  hatchet  which  by  its  pon- 
derosity went  to  the  bottom,  but  the  rest  of  the 
cargo,  being  old  clothes,  rope  ends,  and  wooden 
tackle,  floated  on  the  surface. 

My  fellow  passenger,  Mr,  Douw,  was  very  de- 
vout all  this  morning.  He  kept  poring  upon 
Whitefield's  sermons. 

Kemp 

At  twelve  o'clock  we  passed  a  place  called  the 

J  The  present  Rogers  Island. 
91 


Kemp,^  larboard,  where  some  High  Germans  are 
settled.    The  Catskill  Mountains  bore  W.  by  S. 

Hybane  and  Murlanin  Islands 

At  one  o'clock  we  passed  Hybane  and  Murlanin 
Islands,^  larboard.  The  Catskill  Mountains  bore 
due  west. 


Sopus  Creek— Little  Sopus  Island 

At  three  o'clock  we  cleared  Sopus  Creek,  otherwise 
called  Murder  Creek,  starboard,  and  half  an  hour 
after  four,  Little  Sopus  Island,  reckoned  half  way 
betwixt  Albany  and  York.  Catskill  Mountains 
bore  west  northwest. 


POUGHCAPSY 

At  half  an  hour  after  seven  we  passed  by  Pough- 
capsy,  larboard.  We  sailed  all  night  but  slowly,  our 
wind  failing  us. 

Wednesday,  July  4th. — At  two  in  the  morning,  the 
wind  dying  away,  and  the  tide  being  against  us,  we 
dropt  anchor  five  miles  to  the  northward  of  the 
Highlands.  I  got  up  by  five  in  the  morning,  and 
going  upon  deck  I  found  a  scattered  fog  upon  the 

1  Kemp  should  be  The  Comp,  opposite  De  Witt  Point  on  the  east  side  of 
the  Hudson. 

2  Hybane  and  Murlanin  Islands  are  the  present  Wanton  and  Rock 
Islands  respectively. 


92 


water,  the  air  cold  and  damp  and  a  small  wind  at 
south.  The  ebb  tide  began  at  six  in  the  morning, 
so  we  weighed  anchor  and  tripped  it  down  with  a 
pretty  strong  southerly  wind  in  our  teeth. 


Doepper's  Island— Highlands 

At  ten  o'clock  we  passed  Doepper's  Island,  lar- 
board, and  as  we  entered  the  Highlands  the  wind 
left  us.  At  half  an  hour  after  ten,  the  wind  turned 
fair  at  northeast,  but  small;  at  twelve  southerly 
again ;  at  half  an  hour  after  two  very  variable,  but 
settled  at  last  in  the  southerly  quarter. 


COMMASKY^  OR  BUTTERMILK  ISLAND 

We  came  opposite  to  a  little  log-house,  or  cottage, 
upon  the  top  of  a  high,  steep  precipice  in  view  of 
Commasky,  or  Buttermilk  Island,^  where  we  dropt 
anchor.  The  tide  beginning  to  flow,  we  went 
ashore  to  this  house  in  expectation  of  some  milk  or 
fowls  or  fresh  provision,  but  could  get  none,  for 
the  people  were  extremely  poor.  This  appeared  a 
very  wild,  romantic  place,  surrounded  with  huge 
rocks,  dreadful  precipices,  and  scraggy,  broken 
trees. 

The  man's  name  that  inhabited  here  was  James 
Williams,  a  little  old  man,  that  followed  fishing  and 
cutting  of  timber  rafters  to  send  to  Albany  or  York. 
He  had  four  children,— three  sons  and  a  daughter, 
whom  he  kept  all  employed  about  some  work  or 

1  Known  now  as  Constitution  Island. 


93 


other.  I  distributed  a  few  copper  halfpence  among 
them,  for  which  they  gave  me  a  great  many  country 
bows  and  curtsies.  It  is  surprising  how  these  peo- 
ple in  the  winter  time  live  here  or  defend  themselves 
in  such  slight  houses  against  the  violent  cold. 

Going  on  board  again  at  4  o'clock  I  killed  a  snake, 
which  I  had  almost  trod  upon  as  I  clambered  down 
the  steep.  Had  it  been  a  rattlesnake  I  should  have 
been  entitled  to  a  colonel's  commission,  for  it  is  a 
common  saying  here  that  a  man  has  no  title  to  that 
dignity  until  he  has  killed  a  rattlesnake. 

The  rock  here  is  so  steep  that  you  may  stand 
within  twenty  yards  of  the  edge  of  the  bank,  and 
yet  not  see  the  river,  altho'  it  is  very  near  a  mile 
broad  in  this  place.  The  tide  ebbing  at  half  an  hour 
after  six  we  weighed  anchor,  and  found  by  the  tire- 
some length  of  our  cable  that  there  were  ninety  feet 
water  within  twenty  paces  of  the  shoar. 


Hay  Ruck 

We  passed  by  the  Hay  Ruck,  half  an  hour  after 
seven,  the  wind  southwest.  We  sent  our  canoe 
ashore  here  to  a  farmhouse,  and  got  a  bucketful  of 
buttermilk  and  a  pail  of  sweet  milk. 


Anthony's  Nose— Cook's  Island 

At  half  an  hour  after  eight  we  passed  Anthony's 
Nose,  larboard,  wind  strong  at  south ;  at  nine  Cook's 
Island,  larboard ;  at  ten  cleared  the  Highlands,  and 


94 


anchored  at  two  in  the  morning  some  miles  below 
the  Highlands. 

Thursday  J  July  ^th.—We  weighed  anchor  a  little 
after  six  in  the  morning,  wind  southwest,  and  dropt 
anchor  again  a  quarter  after  two  in  the  afternoon, 
York  Island  being  in  view  at  a  distance.  We  went 
ashore  to  the  house  of  one  Kaen  Buikhaut,  a  Dutch 
farmer.  The  old  man  was  busy  in  making  a  sleigh, 
which  is  a  travelling  machine  used  here  and  at  Al- 
bany in  the  winter  time  to  run  upon  the  snow.  The 
woman  told  us  she  had  eighteen  children,  nine  boys 
and  as  many  girls.  Their  third  daughter  was  a 
handsome  girl,  about  sixteen  years  of  age.  We 
purchased  there  three  fat  fowls  for  ninepence,  and 
a  great  bucketful  of  milk  into  the  bargain.  We 
went  on  board  a  quarter  after  six,  and  had  hard 
work  in  weighing,  our  anchor  having  got  fast  hold 
of  a  rock.  Dromo  grinned  like  a  pagod  as  he 
tugged  at  the  cable,  or  like  one  of  his  own  country 
idols.  However,  we  got  it  up  at  length.  At  ten  at 
night  we  had  a  very  hard  southerly  wind  and 
had  almost  lost  our  canoe.  The  wind  came  up  so 
furious  that  we  were  obliged  to  drop  anchor  at 
eleven  o'clock.  Another  sloop,  running  like  fury 
before  the  wind,  had  almost  been  foul  of  us  in  the 
dark  till  we  gave  her  the  signal  of  a  gun,  which 
made  her  bear  away. 


York  Island— Greenwitch 

Friday,  July  6th.— We  weighed  anchor  before  five 
in  the  morning,  having  the  ebb  tide,  the  wind  still 


9.S 


southerly,  and  the  weather  rainy.  We  came  up 
with  York  Island  and  Dulancie's  house  ^  at  half  an 
hour  after  six,  larboard.  Here  we  were  becalmed, 
and  so  floated  with  the  tide  till  nine  o'clock.  Green- 
witch  larboard.  The  wind  sprang  up  at  northwest 
very  fresh  with  a  heavy  shower,  and  about  half  an 
hour  after  nine  we  landed  at  New  York. 


New  York 

I  NEVER  was  so  destitute  of  conversation  in  my  life 
as  in  this  voyage.  I  heard  nothing  but  Dutch  spoke 
all  the  way.  My  fellow  passenger  Volkert  Douw 
could  speak  some  English,  but  had  as  little  in  him 
to  enliven  conversation  as  any  young  fellow  ever  I 
knew  that  looked  like  a  gentleman.  Whoever  had 
the  care  of  his  education  had  foundered  him  by  in- 
stilling into  him  enthusiastic  religious  notions. 

At  ten  o'clock  I  went  to  my  lodging  at  Mrs. 
Hogg's,  where  I  first  heard  the  melancholy  news  of 
the  loss  of  the  Philadelphia  privateer.  I  dined  at 
Todd's,  where  there  was  a  mixed  company;  among 

the  rest  Mr.  H  n,^  the  City  Recorder,  Oliver 

Dulancie,  and  a  gentleman  in  a  green  coat,  with  a 
scarified  face,  whose  name  I  cannot  recollect,  from 
Antigua.  After  dinner  they  went  to  the  old  trade 
of  bumpering;  therefore  I  retired. 

In  this  company  there  was  one  of  these  despicable 
fellows  whom  we  may  call  c  1  ^  spies,  a  man,  as  I 

iDe  Lancey  House  stood  just  above  Trinity  Church,  where  the  City 
Hotel  was  located  for  many  years.  James  De  Lancey,  bom  1703;  Chief 
Justice  of  New  York  from  1733  to  his  death  in  1760;  Lieutenant  Governor 
from  1747,  and  acting  governor  in  1754-1755. 

^Adrien  Hageman,  county  clerk.        3  ^ourt. 

96 


understood,  pretty  intimate  with  G  r  C  n/ 

who  might  perhaps  share  some  favour  for  his  dex- 
terity in  intelHgence.  This  fellow  I  found  made  it 
his  business  to  foist  himself  into  all  mixed  com- 
panies to  hear  what  was  said  and  to  inquire  into  the 
business  and  character  of  strangers.  After  dinner 
I  happened  to  be  in  a  room  near  the  porch  fronting 
the  street,  and  overheard  this  worthy  intelligencer 
a-pumping  of  Todd,  the  landlord.  He  was  inquir- 
ing of  him  who  that  gentleman  in  the  green  coat 
was  whom  I  just  now  mentioned.  Todd  replied: 
"He  is  a  gentleman  from  Antigua,  who  comes  rec- 
ommended to  C  re  W  n,^  by  Governour 

G  h,^  of  Virginia,"  and  that  he  had  been  with 

Lord  Banff,  and  left  him  upon  some  disgust  or  quar- 
rel. Todd  next  informed  him  who  I  was,  upon 
his  asking  the  question.  "You  mean  the  pock- 
fretten  man,"  said  he,  "with  the  dark-coloured  silk 
coat.  He  is  a  countryman  of  mine,  by  God,— one 
Hamilton  from  Maryland.  They  say  he  is  a  doc- 
tor, and  is  travelling  for  his  health."  Hearing  this 
stuff,  "this  is  afternoon  news,"  thought  I,  "for  the 
Governour,"  and  just  as  the  inquisitor  was  desiring 
Todd  to  speak  lower  (he  was  not  deaf),  I  bolted 
out  upon  them  and  put  an  end  to  the  inquiry,  and 
the  inquisitor  went  about  his  business. 

I  went  to  the  inn  to  see  my  horses,  and  finding 
them  in  good  plight,  Mr.  Waghorn  desired  me  to 
walk  into  a  room,  where  were  some  Boston  gentle- 
men that  would  be  company  for  me  in  my  journey 
there.  I  agreed  to  set  out  with  them  for  Boston 
upon  Monday  morning.  Their  names  were  Messrs. 

1  Governor  Clinton.    (See  earlier  note.) 

2  Commodore  Warren. 

3  William  Gooch,  Governor  of  Virginia  1727-1752. 

97 


Laughton*  and  Parker,^  by  employment  traders. 
There  was  in  company  an  old  grave  don,  who,  they 
told  me,  was  both  a  parson  and  physician.  Being 
a  graduate,  he  appeared  to  be  in  a  mean  attire.  His 
wig  was  remarkably  weather-beaten,  the  hairs  be- 
ing all  as  straight  as  a  rush,  and  of  an  orange  yellow 
at  the  extremities ;  but  that  it  had  been  once  a  fair 
wig  you  might  know  by  the  appearance  of  that  part 
which  is  covered  by  the  hat,  for  that  headwear  I 
suppose  seldom  went  off  unless  at  proper  times  to 
yield  place  to  his  nightcap.  The  uncovered  part  of 
his  wig  had  changed  its  hue  by  the  sunbeams  and 
rain  alternately  beating  upon  it.  This  old  philoso- 
pher had,  besides,  as  part  of  his  wearing  apparel,  a 
pair  of  old  greasy  gloves,  not  a  whit  less  ancient 
than  the  wig,  which  lay  carefully  folded  up  upon 
the  table  before  him,  and  upon  his  legs  were  a  pair 
of  old  leather  spatter-dashes,  clouted  in  twenty  dif- 
ferent places,  and  buttoned  up  all  along  the  outside 
of  his  leg  with  brass  buttons.  He  was  consumedly 
grave  and  sparing  of  his  talk,  but  every  now  and 
then  a  dry  joke  escaped  him. 

At  the  opposite  side  of  the  table  sat  another  piece 
of  antiquity,  one  Major  Spratt,^  a  thin,  tall  man, 
very  phthisical,  and  addicted  much  to  a  dry  cough. 
His  face  was  adorned  and  set  out  with  very  large 
carbuncles,  and  he  was  more  than  half  seas  over  in 
liquor.  I  understood  he  professed  poetry,  and 
often  applied  himself  to  rhyming,  in  which  he  imag- 
ined himself  a  very  good  artist.  He  gave  us  a 
specimen  of  his  poetry  in  an  epitaph,  which  he  said 
he  had  composed  upon  one  Purcell,  a  neighbour  of 

1  Henry  Laughton,  a  Boston  merchant. 

2  Benjamin  Parker,  Boston  merchant,  died  1760. 
^  Major  John  Spratt. 

98 


his,  lately  dead ;  asked  us  if  we  did  not  think  it  ex- 
cellent, and  the  best  of  that  kind  ever  we  heard.  He 
repeated  it  ten  times  over  with  a  ludicrous  air  and 
action.  "Gentlemen,"  said  he,  "pray  take  notice 
now,  give  good  attention.  It  is  perhaps  the  con- 
cisest,  wittiest,  prettiest  epigram  or  epitaph,  call  it 
what  you  will,  that  you  ever  heard.  Shall  I  get  you 
pen  and  ink  to  write  it  down  ?  Perhaps  you  may  n't 
remember  it  else.  It  is  highly  worth  your  noting. 
Pray  observe  how  it  runs, — 

Here  lies  John  Purcell ; 

And  whether  he  be  in  heaven  or  in  hell, 

Never  a  one  of  us  all  can  tell.  " 

This  poet  asked  me  very  kindly  how  I  did,  and 
took  me  by  the  hand,  tho'  I  never  had  seen  him  in 
my  life  before.  He  said  he  liked  me  for  the  sake 
of  my  name ;  told  me  he  was  himself  nearly  related 
to  Colonel  Hamilton  ^  in  the  Jerseys,  son  of  the  late 
Governour  Hamilton  ^  there.  Then  from  one  digres- 
sion to  another  he  told  me  that  the  coat  he  had  upon 
his  back  was  thirty  years  old.  I  believed  him,  for 
every  button  was  as  large  as  an  ordinary  turnip,  the 
button-holes  at  least  a  quarter  of  a  yard  long,  and 
the  pocket  holes  just  down  at  the  skirts. 

After  some  confused  topsy-turvy  conversation, 
the  landlord  sang  a  bawdy  song,  at  which  the  grave 
parson-doctor  got  up,  told  us  that  was  a  language 
he  did  not  understand,  and  therefore  took  his  horse 
and  rid  away;  but  in  little  more  than  half  an  hour 
or  three  quarters  returned  again  and  told  us  he  had 

1  Colonel  Hamilton,  son  of  John  Hamilton. 

2John  Hamilton,  acting  governor  of  New  Jersey,  1736-1738;  was  also 
governor  in  1746,  and  died  in  1747.  "Late"  therefore  seems  to  mean 
recent.    His  father,  Andrew  Hamilton,  was  also  governor,  1692-1701. 


99 


forgot  his  gloves,  and  had  rid  two  miles  of  his  way 
before  he  missed  them.  I  was  surprised  at  the  old 
man's  care  of  such  a  greasy  bargain  as  these  gloves. 
They  were  fit  for  nothing  but  to  be  wore  by  itchified 
persons  under  a  course  of  sulphur,  and  I  don't  know 
but  the  doctor  had  lent  them  to  some  of  his  patients 
for  that  purpose,  by  which  means  they  had  imbibed 
such  a  quantity  of  grease.  The  landlord  told  me 
he  was  a  man  worth  5,000  pounds  sterling,  and  had 
got  it  by  frugality.  I  replied  that  this  instance  of 
the  gloves  was  such  a  demonstration  of  carefulness 
that  I  wondered  he  was  not  worth  twice  as  much. 

At  four  o'clock  I  came  to  my  lodging,  and  drank 
tea  with  Mrs.  Hogg,  and  Mr.  John  Watts,^  a  Scots 
gentleman,  came  to  pay  me  a  visit.  At  five  I  went 
to  the  cofifee-house,  and  there  meeting  with  Mr, 
Dupeyster,^  he  carried  me  to  the  tavern,  where  in  a 
large  room  were  convened  a  certain  club  of  merry 

fellows.    Among  the  rest  was  H  d,  the  same 

whom  I  extolled  before  for  his  art  in  touching  the 
violin ;  but  that  indeed  seemed  to  be  his  principal  ex- 
cellency. Other  things  he  pretended  to,  but  fell 
short.  He  afifected  being  a  wit  and  dealt  much  in 
pointed  satire,  but  it  was  such  base  metal  that  the 
edge  or  point  w'as  soon  turned  \vhen  put  to  the 
proof.  When  anybody  spoke  to  him,  he  seemed  to 
give  ear  in  such  a  careless  manner  as  if  he  thought 
all  discourse  but  his  own  trifling  and  insignificant. 
In  short  he  was  fit  to  shine  nowhere,  but  among 
your  good-natured  men  and  ignorant  blockheads. 
There  was  a  necessity  for  the  first  to  bear  with  the 
stupidity  of  his  satire  and  for  the  others  to  admire 

1  John  Watts,  member  of  the  Assembly,  and  married  into  the  De  Lancey 
family  in  1742. 

2  Abraham  De  Peyster,  treasurer  of  New  York  from  1721  to  1767. 

100 


his  pseudosophia  and  quaintness  of  his  speeches,  and 
at  the  same  time  with  their  blocks  to  turn  the  edge 
and  acuteness  of  his  wit.  He  dealt  much  in  pro- 
verbs, and  made  use  of  one  which  I  thought  pretty- 
significant  when  well  applied.  It  was  the  devil  to 
pay,  and  no  pitch  hot?  an  interrogatory  adage  meta- 
phorically derived  from  the  manner  of  sailors,  who 
pay  their  ships'  bottoms  with  pitch.  I  backed  it  with 
great  cry  and  little  wool,  said  the  devil  when  he 
shore  his  hogs,  applicable  enough  to  the  ostenta- 
tion and  flutter  he  made  with  his  learning. 

There  was  in  this  company  one  Dr.  McGraa,^  a 
pretended  Scotsman,  but  by  brogue  a  Teague.  He 
had  an  affected  way  of  curtsying  instead  of  bowing 
when  he  entered  a  room.  He  put  on  a  modest  look, 
uncommon  to  his  nation,  spoke  little,  and  when  he 
went  to  speak  leaned  over  the  table  and  stretched 
out  his  neck  and  face,  goose-like,  as  if  he  had  been 
going  to  whisper  you  in  the  ear.  When  he  drank 
to  any  in  the  company  he  would  not  speak,  but  kept 
bowing  and  bowing,  sometimes  for  the  space  of  a 
minute  or  two,  till  the  person  complimented  either 
observed  him  of  his  own  accord  or  was  hunched  into 
attention  by  his  next  neighbour,  but  it  was  hard  to 
know  whom  he  bowed  to,  upon  account  of  his  squint- 
ing. However,  when  the  liquor  began  to  heat  him 
a  little,  he  talked  at  the  rate  of  three  [hundred?] 
words  in  a  minute,  and,  sitting  next  me  (he  was 
very  complaisant  in  his  cups),  he  told  me  he  had 
heard  my  name  mentioned  by  some  Marylanders, 
and  asked  me  if  I  knew  his  uncle  Grierson  in  Mary- 
land.   I  returned  his  compliments  in  as  civil  a  man- 

1  Dr.  Magraw,  a  physician  of  the  Radcliffe  school,  who  came  to  New 
York  in  1 740. 


lOI 


ner  as  possible,  and  for  half  an  hour  we  talked  of 
nothing  but  waiting  upon  one  another  at  our  lodg- 
ings, but  after  all  this  complimentary  farce  and 
promises  of  serving  and  waiting  were  over,  I  could 
not  but  observe  that  none  of  us  took  the  trouble  to 
inquire  where  the  one  or  the  other  lodged.  I  never 
met  with  a  man  so  wrapped  up  in  himself  as  this 
fellow  seemed  to  be,  nor  did  I  ever  see  a  face  where 
there  was  so  much  effrontery  under  a  pretended 
mask  of  modesty. 

There  was,  besides,  another  doctor  in  company, 
named  Mann,  doctor  of  a  man-of-war.  The  best 
thing  I  saw  about  him  was  that  he  would  drink 
nothing  but  water,  but  he  eat  lustily  at  supper,  and 
nothing  remarkable  appeared  in  his  discourse 
(which  indeed  was  copious  and  insipid)  but  only  an 
affected  way  he  had  of  swearing  by  God  at  every 
two  words;  and  by  the  motion  of  his  hands  at 
each  time  of  swearing  that  polite  and  elegant  oath, 
he  would  seem  to  let  the  company  understand  that 
he  was  no  mean  orator,  and  that  the  little  oath  was 
a  very  fine  ornament  to  his  oration. 

But  the  most  remarkable  person  in  the  whole 
company  was  one  Wendall,  a  young  gentleman  from 
Boston.  He  entertained  us  mightily  by  playing  on 
the  violin  the  quickest  tunes  upon  the  highest  keys, 
which  he  accompanied  with  his  voice,  so  as  even  to 
drown  the  violin,  with  such  nice  shakings  and  grac- 
ings  that  I  thought  his  voice  outdid  the  instrument. 
I  sat  for  some  time  immovable  with  surprise.  The  like 
I  never  heard,  and  the  thing  seemed  to  me  next  a 
miracle.  The  extent  of  his  voice  is  impossible  to 
describe  or  even  to  imagine  unless  by  hearing  him. 
The  whole  company  were  amazed  that  any  person 

102 


but  a  woman  or  eunuch  could  have  such  a  pipe,  and 
began  to  question  his  viriHty;  but  he  swore  that  if 
the  company  pleased  he  would  show  a  couple  of  as 
good  witnesses  as  any  man  might  wear.  He  then 
imitated  several  beasts,  as  dogs,  cats,  horses,  and 
cows,  and  the  cackling  of  poultry,  and  all  to  such 
perfection  that  nothing  but  nature  could  match  it. 
When  the  landlord  (a  clumsy,  sallow-faced  fellow 
in  a  white  jacket)  came  to  receive  his  reckoning, 
our  mimic's  art  struck  and  surprised  him  in  such  a 
manner  that  it  fixed  him  quite,  like  one  that  had 
seen  the  Gorgon's  head,  and  he  might  have  passed 
for  a  statue  done  in  white  marble.  He  was  so 
struck  that  the  company  might  have  gone  away 
without  paying  and  carried  off  all  his  silver  tank- 
ards and  spoons,  and  he  never  would  have  observed. 

After  being  thus  entertained  I  returned  to  my 
lodging  at  eleven  o'clock. 

Saturday,  July  ph. — In  the  morning  I  waited  upon 
Stephen  Bayard,  to  whom  my  letters  of  credit  were 
directed.  He  invited  me  to  a  Sunday's  dinner  with 
him.  We  heard  news  of  a  coasting  vessel  belong- 
ing to  N.  England  taken  by  a  French  privateer  in 
her  passage  betwixt  Boston  and  Rhode  Island.  I 
writ  to  Annapolis  by  the  post.  I  dined  at  Todd's, 
and  went  in  the  afternoon  to  see  the  French  prizes 
in  the  harbour.  Both  of  them  were  large  ships 
about  300  tons  burden,— the  one  Le  Jupiter  and  the 
other  Le  Saint  Frangois  Xavier.  Warren,  who 
took  the  St.  Francis,  has  gained  a  great  character. 
His  praise  is  in  everybody's  mouth,  and  he  has  made 
a  fine  estate  of  the  business.  I  went  home  at  night, 
and  shunned  company. 


103 


Sunday,  July  8th.— I  spent  the  morning  at  home,  and 
at  one  o'clock  went  to  dine  with  Mr.  Bayard. 
Among  some  other  gentlemen  there,  was  my  old 
friend  Dr.  McGraa,  who  to-day  seemed  to  have 
more  talk  and  ostentation  than  usual,  but  he  did 
not  shine  quite  bright  till  he  had  drunk  half  a  dozen 
glasses  of  wine  after  dinner.  He  spoke  now  in  a 
very  arbitrary  tone,  as  if  his  opinion  was  to  pass  for 
an  ipse  dixit.  He  and  I  unhappily  engaged  in  a 
dispute,  which  I  was  sorry  for,  it  being  dissonant 
to  good  manners  before  company,  and  what  none 
but  rank  pedants  will  be  guilty  of.  We  were  obliged 
to  use  hard  physical  terms,  very  discordant  and  dis- 
agreeable to  ears  not  accustomed  to  them.  I  wanted 
much  to  drop  it,  but  he  kept  teasing  of  me.  I  found 
my  chap  to  be  one  of  those  learned  bullies  who  by 
loud  talking  and  an  afifected  sneer  seem  to  outshine 
all  other  men  in  parts  of  literature  where  the  com- 
pany are  by  no  means  proper  judges,  where  for  the 
most  part  the  most  impudent  of  the  disputants 
passes  for  the  most  knowing  man.  The  subject  of 
this  dispute  was  the  effect  which  the  moon  has  upon 
all  fluids  as  well  as  the  ocean,  in  a  proportionable 
ratio,  by  the  law  of  gravitation  or  her  attractive 
power,  and  even  upon  the  fluids  in  the  vessels  of 
animals.  .  .  .  He  did  not  believe  the  moon  had  any- 
thing to  do  with  us  or  our  distempers,  and  said  that 
such  notions  were  only  superstitious  nonsense,  won- 
dering how  I  could  give  credit  to  any  such  stuff. 
We  had  a  great  deal  of  talk  about  attraction,  con- 
densation, gravitation,  rarefaction,  of  all  which  I 
found  he  understood  just  as  much  as  a  goose; 
and  when  he  began  to  show  his  ignorance  of  the 
mathematical  and  astronomical  problems  of  the 


104 


illustrious  Newton,  and  blockishly  resolve  all  my 
meaning  into  judicial  astrology,  I  gave  him  up  as 
an  unintelligent,  unintelligible,  and  consequently 
inflexible  disputant,  and  the  company  being  no 
judges  of  the  thing,  imagined,  I  suppose,  that  he 
had  got  the  victory,  which  did  not  at  all  make  me 
uneasy.  He  pretended  to  have  travelled  most 
countries  in  Europe,  to  have  shared  the  favour  and 
acquaintance  of  some  foreign  princes  and  grandees, 
and  to  have  been  at  their  tables ;  to  be  master  of  sev- 
eral European  languages,  tho'  I  found  he  could  not 
speak  good  French,  and  he  merely  murdered  the 
Latin.  He  said  he  had  been  very  intimate  with 
Professor  Boerhaave^  and  Dr.  Astruc,^  and  sub- 
joined that  he  knew  for  certain  that  the  majority  of 
the  Spanish  bishops  were  Jews, 

There  was  another  doctor  at  dinner  with  us,  who 
went  away  before  this  dispute  began.  His  name 
was  Ascough.^  When  he  came  first  in,  he  told  Mr. 
Bayard  he  would  dine  with  him,  provided  he  had 
no  green  pease  for  dinner.  Mr.  Bayard  told  him 
there  were  some,  but  that  they  should  not  come  to 
table,  upon  which,  with  some  entreaty,  the  doctor 
sat  down,  and  eat  pretty  heartily  of  bacon,  chickens, 
and  veal;  but  just  as  he  had  begun  upon  his  veal, 
the  stupid  negro  wench,  forgetting  her  orders  to  the 
contrary,  produced  the  pease,  at  which  the  doctor 
began  to  stare  and  change  colour  in  such  a  manner 
that  I  thought  he  would  have  been  convulsed,  but 
he  started  up  and  ran  out  of  doors  so  fast  that  we 

1  Professor  Hermann  Boerhaave,  born  at  Leyden,  1668 ;  a  famous  phy- 
sician, and  professor  of  botany,  chemistry,  and  medicine  at  the  University 
of  Leyden;  died  1738. 

2  Dr.  Jean  Astruc,  French  medical  writer  and  professor  ;  born  1684,  died 
1766. 

3  Dr.  John  Ayscough. 


could  never  throw  salt  on  his  tail  again.  Mr.  Bay- 
ard was  so  angry  that  he  had  almost  overset  the 
table,  but  we  had  a  good  dish  of  pease  by  the  bar- 
gain, which  otherwise  we  should  not  have  tasted. 
This  was  the  oddest  antipathy  ever  I  was  witness  to. 
At  night  I  went  to  Waghorn's,  and  found  my  com- 
pany had  delayed  their  setting  off  till  Tuesday,  so  I 
returned  home. 

Monday,  July  pth.  —  l  waited  upon  Mr.  Bayard  this 
morning,  and  had  letters  of  credit  drawn  upon  Mr. 

Lechmere  at  Boston.    I  dined  with  Mr.  M  s 

and  other  company  at  Todd's,  and  went  to  tarry 
this  night  at  the  inn  where  my  horses  were,  in  order 
to  set  out  to-morrow  morning  betimes  on  my  jour- 
ney for  Boston.  We  heard  news  this  day  of  an 
English  vessel,  laden  with  ammunition  and  bound 
for  New  England,  being  taken  on  the  coast.  I  spent 
the  evening  at  Waghorn's,  where  we  had  Mr.  Wen- 
dall's  company,  who  entertained  us  as  before.  We 
had  among  us  this  night  our  old  friend  Major 
Spratt,  who  now  and  then  gave  us  an  extempore 
rhyme.    I  retired  to  bed  at  twelve  o'clock. 

The  people  of  New  York,  at  the  first  appearance 
of  a  stranger,  are  seemingly  civil  and  courteous, 
but  this  civility  and  complaisance  soon  relaxes  if  he 
be  not  either  highly  recommended  or  a  good  toaper. 
To  drink  stoutly  with  the  Hungarian  Club,  who  are 
all  bumper  men,  is  the  readiest  way  for  a  stranger 
to  recommend  himself,  and  a  set  among  them  are 
very  fond  of  making  a  stranger  drunk.  To  talk 
bawdy  and  to  have  a  knack  at  punning  passes  among 
some  there  for  good  sterling  wit.  Governour  Clin- 
ton himself  is  a  jolly  toaper  and  gives  good  example, 

lo6 


J  d^y^i^e^t^  Qywu^^  £i£^,^o^^9<^ 


f     J  f     I  '   »-  *'    -   '  J  ^  "  wwr\^^ 


J- 

^JLjii^  y\HU  f>nJUA^\  ^hjn^JJx^  CLjuu^y  ft^ije^S^^  5^m.S 

^^^VUL.  'yv^^-^tAMt&uyy^  fvtiA  //t^^  OtX5.-i 


and  for  that  one  quality  is  esteemed  among  these 
dons. 

The  staple  of  New  York  is  bread  flour  and  skins. 
It  is  a  very  rich  place,  but  it  is  not  so  cheap  living 
here  as  at  Philadelphia.  They  have  very  bad  water 
in  the  city,  most  of  it  being  hard  and  brackish. 
Ever  since  the  negro  conspiracy,  certain  people 
have  been  appointed  to  sell  water  in  the  streets, 
which  they  carry  on  a  sledge  in  great  casks  and 
bring  it  from  the  best  springs  about  the  city,  for  it 
was  when  the  negroes  went  for  tea  water  that  they 
held  their  cabals  and  consultations,  and  therefore 
they  have  a  law  now  that  no  negro  shall  be  seen 
upon  the  streets  without  a  lanthorn  after  dark. 

In  this  city  are  a  mayor,  recorder,  aldermen,  and 
common  council.  The  government  is  under  the 
English  law,  but  the  chief  places  are  possessed  by 
Dutchmen,  they  composing  the  best  part  of  the 
House  of  Assembly.  The  Dutch  were  the  first  set- 
tlers of  this  Province,  which  is  very  large  and  ex- 
tensive, the  States  of  Holland  having  purchased  the 
country  of  one  Hudson,  who  pretended  first  to  have 
discovered  it,  but  they  at  last  exchanged  it  with  the 
English  for  Saranam,  and  ever  since  there  have 
been  a  great  number  of  Dutch  here,  tho'  now  their 
language  and  customs  begin  pretty  much  to  wear 
out,  and  would  very  soon  die  were  it  not  for  a  parcel 
of  Dutch  domines  here,  who,  in  the  education  of 
their  children,  endeavour  to  preserve  the  Dutch 
customs  as  much  as  possible.  There  is  as  much 
jarring  here  betwixt  the  powers  of  the  Legislature 
as  in  any  of  the  other  American  Provinces. 

They  have  a  diversion  here  very  common,  which 
is  the  barbecuing  of  a  turtle,  to  which  sport  the 

107 


chief  gentry  in  town  commonly  go  once  or  twice 
a  week. 

Tiiere  are  a  great  many  handsome  women  in 
this  city.  They  appear  much  more  in  pubhc  than 
at  Philadelphia.  It  is  customary  here  to  ride 
thro'  the  street  in  light  chairs.  When  the  ladies 
walk  the  streets  in  the  daytime  they  commonly 
use  umbrellas,  prettily  adorned  with  feathers  and 
painted. 

There  are  two  coffee-houses  in  this  city,  and  the 
northern  and  southern  posts  go  and  come  here  once 
a  week.  I  was  tired  of  nothing  here  but  their  ex- 
cessive drinking,  for  in  this  place  you  may  have  the 
best  of  company  and  conversation  as  well  as  at  Phil- 
adelphia. 

York  Ferry— Long  Island— Jamaica 

Tuesday  July  /of/z.— Early  in  the  morning  we  got 
up,  and  after  preparing  all  our  baggage,  Messrs. 
Parker,  Laughton,  and  I  mounted  horse,  and  crossed 
the  ferry  at  seven  o'clock  over  to  Long  Island.  After 
a  tedious  passage  and  being  detained  some  time  at 
Baker's,  we  arrived  a  quarter  after  ten  at  Jamaica, 
a  small  town  upon  Long  Island,  just  bordering  upon 
Hampstead  Plain,  It  is  about  half  a  mile  long; 
the  houses  sparse.  There  are  in  it  one  Presbyterian 
meeting,  one  English  and  one  Dutch  church.  The 
Dutch  church  is  built  in  the  shape  of  an  octagon, 
being  a  wooden  structure.  We  stopped  there  at 
the  sign  of  the  Sun,  and  paid  dear  for  our  break- 
fast, which  was  bread  and  mouldy  cheese,  stale 
beer,  and  sour  cider. 

io8 


Hampstead 


We  set  out  again  and  arrived  at  Hampstead,  a  very 
scattered  town,  standing  upon  the  great  plain  to 
which  it  gives  name.  We  put  up  here  at  one 
Peters's,  at  the  sign  of  Guy  of  Warwick,  where  we 
dined  with  a  company  that  had  come  there  before 
us,  and  were  travelhng  southward.  There  was  a 
pretty  girl  here,  with  whom  Parker  was  mightily 
taken,  and  would  fain  have  staid  that  night.  This 
girl  had  intermitting  fevers.  Parker  pretended  to 
be  a  doctor,  and  swore  he  could  cure  her  if  she 
would  submit  to  his  directions.  With  difficulty 
we  persuaded  Parker  to  mount  horse. 

At  four  o'clock,  going  across  this  great  plain,  we 
could  see  almost  as  good  a  horizon  round  us  as 
when  one  is  at  sea,  and  in  some  places  of  the  plain, 
the  latitude  might  be  taken  by  observation  at  noon- 
day. It  is  about  sixteen  miles  long.  The  ground 
is  hard  and  gravelly;  the  road  very  smooth  but  in- 
distinct, and  intersected  by  several  other  roads, 
which  make  it  difficult  for  a  stranger  to  find  the 
way.  There  is  nothing  but  long  grass  grows  upon 
this  plain,  only  in  some  particular  spots  small  oak 
brush,  not  above  a  foot  high.  Near  Hampstead 
there  are  several  pretty  winding  brooks  that  run 
thro'  this  plain. 

We  lost  our  way  here,  and  blundered  about  a 
great  while.  At  last  we  spied  a  woman  and  two 
men  at  some  distance.  We  rid  up  towards  them 
to  inquire,  but  they  were  too  wild  to  be  spoke  with, 
running  over  the  plain  as  fast  as  wild  bucks  upon 
the  mountains.  Just  after  we  came  out  of  the  plain 
and  sunk  into  the  woods,  we  found  a  boy  lurking 

109 


behind  a  bush.  We  wanted  to  inquire  the  way  of 
him,  but,  as  soon  as  we  spoke,  the  game  was  started 
and  away  he  ran. 

Huntington 

We  arrived  at  Huntington  at  eight  o'clock  at  night, 
where  we  put  up  at  one  Flat's,  at  the  sign  of  the 
Half-moon  and  Heart.  This  Flat  is  an  Irishman. 
We  had  no  sooner  sat  down,  when  there  came  in  a 
band  of  the  town  politicians  in  short  jackets  and 
trousers,  being  probably  curious  to  know  who  them 
strangers  were  who  had  newly  arrived  in  town. 
Among  the  rest  was  a  fellow  with  a  worsted  cap 
and  great  black  fists.  They  styled  him  doctor. 
Flat  told  me  he  had  been  a  shoemaker  in  town,  and 
was  a  notable  fellow  at  his  trade,  but  happening  two 
years  ago  to  cure  an  old  woman  of  a  pestilent  mor- 
tal disease,  he  thereby  acquired  the  character  of  a 
physician,  was  applied  to  from  all  quarters,  and 
finding  the  practice  of  physic  a  more  profitable 
business  than  cobbling,  he  laid  aside  his  awls  and 
leather,  got  himself  some  gallipots,  and  instead  of 
cobbling  of  scales  fell  to  cobbling  of  human  bodies. 
At  supper  our  landlord  was  very  merry,  and  very 
much  given  to  rhyming.  There  were  three  buxom 
girls  in  this  house,  who  served  us  at  supper,  to 
whom  Mr.  Parker  made  strenuous  courtship.  One 
was  an  Indian  girl  named  Phoebe;  the  other  two 
were  Lucretia  and  Betty;  but  Betty  was  the  top- 
beauty  of  the  three. 

Wednesday,  July  nth.— We  left  Huntington  at  half 
an  hour  after  six  in  the  morning,  and  after  riding 

no 


five  miles  stony  road,  we  breakfasted  at  a  house 
upon  the  road,  at  the  sign  of  Bacchus.  Then  pro- 
ceeding ten  or  eleven  miles  farther,  we  forded  Smith- 
town  River,  otherwise  called  by  the  Indians  Mis- 
saque.  We  baited  our  horses  at  a  tavern  where  there 
was  a  deaf  landlady.  After  half  an  hour's  rest  we 
mounted  horse  again,  and  rid  some  miles  thro'  some 
very  barren,  unequal,  and  stony  land.  We  saw  the 
mouth  of  Smithtown  River  running  into  the  sound, 
thro'  some  broken  sandy  beaches  about  eight  miles 
to  our  left  hand  N.  N.  W.,  and  about  twenty-four 
miles  farther  to  the  northward,  the  coast  of  the 
main  of  New  England  or  the  Province  of  Con- 
necticut. 

Brookhaven^  or  Setoquet 

We  arrived  at  a  scattered  town  called  Brookhaven, 
or  by  the  Indians  Setoquet,  about  two  o'clock  after- 
noon, and  dined  at  one  Buchanan's  there. 

Brookhaven  is  a  small  scattered  village,  standing 
upon  barren  rocky  land  near  the  sea.  In  this  town 
is  a  small  windmill  for  sawing  of  plank,  and  a 
wooden  church  with  a  small  steeple.  At  about  fifty 
miles'  distance  from  this  town  eastward  is  a  settle- 
ment of  Indians,  upon  a  sandy  point,  which  makes 
the  south  fork  of  the  island,  and  runs  out  a  long 
narrow  promontory  into  the  sea,  almost  as  far  as 
Block  Island. 

While  we  were  at  Buchanan's  an  old  fellow 
named  Smith  called  at  the  house.  He  said  he  was 
a-travelling  to  York,  to  get  a  license  or  commission 
from  the  Governour  to  go  a-privateering,  and  swore 
he  would  not  be  under  any  commander,  but  would 

III 


be  chief  man  himself.  He  showed  us  several  antic 
tricks,  such  as  jumping  half  a  foot  high  upon  his 
bum,  without  touching  the  floor  with  any  other  part 
of  his  body.  Then  he  turned  and  did  the  same  upon 
his  belly.  Then  he  stood  upright  upon  his  head. 
He  told  us  he  was  seventy-five  years  of  age  and 
swore  damn  his  old  shoes  if  any  man  in  America 
could  do  the  like.  He  asked  me  whence  I  came  and 
whither  I  went.  I  answered  him  I  came  from  Calli- 
phurnia  and  was  going  to  Lanthern  Land.  He 
swore  damn  his  old  shoes  again  if  he  had  not  been 
a  sailor  all  his  life  long  and  yet  never  had  heard  of 
such  places.  Mr.  Parker  made  him  believe  that  he 
was  a  captain  of  a  privateer,  and  for  a  mug  of  cider 
made  him  engage  to  go  on  board  of  him  upon  Fri- 
day next,  promising  to  make  him  his  lieutenant,  for 
nothing  else  would  satisfy  the  old  fellow.  The  old 
chap  was  mightily  elevated  at  this  and  damned  his 
old  shoes  twenty  times  over.  At  last  he  wanted  to 
borrow  a  little  advance  money  of  Parker,  which 
when  he  found  he  could  not  obtain,  he  drank  up  his 
cider,  and  swore  he  would  not  go. 

We  took  horse  again  at  half  an  hour  after  five 
o'clock,  and  had  scarce  got  a  mile  from  Brookhaven 
when  we  lost  our  way,  but  were  directed  right  again 
by  a  man  whom  we  met.  After  riding  ten  miles 
thro'  woods  and  marshes,  in  which  we  were  pestered 
with  mosquitoes,  we  arrived  at  eight  o'clock  at  night 
at  one  Brewster's,  where  we  put  up  for  all  night, 
and  in  this  house  we  could  get  nothing  either  to  eat 
or  drink,  and  so  were  obliged  to  go  to  bed  fasting 
or  supperless.  I  was  conducted  upstairs  to  a  large 
chamber.  The  people  in  this  house  seemed  to  be 
quite  savage  and  rude. 


Thursday,  July  12th.— When  I  waked  this  morning 
I  found  two  beds  in  the  room,  besides  that  in  which 
I  lay,  in  one  of  which  lay  two  great  hulking  fellows, 
with  long  black  beards,  having  their  own  hair,  and 
not  so  much  as  half  a  nightcap  betwixt  both  them.  I 
took  them  for  weavers,  not  only  from  their  greasy 
appearance,  but  because  I  observed  a  weaver's  loom 
at  each  side  of  the  room.  In  the  other  bed  was  a 
raw-boned  boy,  who,  with  the  two  lubbers,  huddled 
on  his  clothes,  and  went  reeling  downstairs,  making 
as  much  noise  as  three  horses. 

We  set  out  from  this  desolate  place  at  six  o'clock, 
and  rid  sixteen  miles  thro'  very  barren  and  waste 
land.  Here  we  passed  thro'  a  plain  of  six  or  eight 
miles  long,  where  was  nothing  but  oak  brush  or 
bushes,  two  feet  high,  very  thick,  and  replenished 
with  acorns;  and  thinly  scattered  over  the  plain 
were  several  old  naked  pines  at  about  two  or  three 
hundred  feet's  distance  one  from  another,  most  of 
them  decayed  and  broken.  In  all  this  way  we  met 
not  one  living  soul,  nor  saw  any  house  but  one  in 
ruins.  Some  of  the  inhabitants  here  call  this  place 
the  Desert  of  Arabia.  It  is  very  much  infected  with 
mosquitoes.  We  breakfasted  at  one  Fanning's. 
Near  his  house  stands  the  County  Court-house,  a 
decayed  wooden  building,  and  close  by  his  door  runs 
a  small  rivulet  into  an  arm  of  the  sea  about  twenty 
miles'  distance,  which  makes  that  division  of  the 
eastern  end  of  Long  Island  called  the  Fork. 

South  HOLD 

This  day  was  rainy,  but  we  took  horse  and  rid  ten 
miles  farther  to  one  Hubbard's,  where  we  rested 


113 


half  an  hour,  then  proceeded  eight  miles  farther  to 
the  town  of  Southhold,  near  which  the  road  is  level, 
firm,  and  pleasant,  and  in  the  neighborhood  are  a 
great  many  windmills.  The  houses  are  pretty 
thick  along  the  road  here.  We  put  up  at  one  Mrs. 
Moore's  in  Southhold.  In  her  house  appeared  noth- 
ing but  industry.  She  and  her  grand-daughters 
were  busied  in  carding  and  spinning  of  wool.  Mes- 
sieurs Parker  and  Laughton  were  very  much  dis- 
posed to  sleep.  We  ordered  some  eggs  for  dinner 
and  some  chickens.  Mrs.  Moore  asked  us  if  we 
would  have  bacon  fried  with  our  eggs ;  we  told  her 
no.  After  dinner  we  sent  to  inquire  for  a  boat  to 
cross  the  Sound. 

At  night  the  house  was  crowded  with  a  company 
of  patched  coats  and  tattered  jackets,  and  conse- 
quently the  conversation  consisted  chiefly  in  damn 
ye,  Jack;  and  here's  to  you,  Tom.  A  comical  old 
fellow  among  the  rest  asked  me  if  I  had  come  from 
the  new  country.  His  name  he  told  me  was  Cleve- 
land, and  he  was  originally  of  Scots  parentage.  I 
told  him  then  his  genuine  name  must  be  Cleland. 
W'e  asked  him  what  entertainment  we  could  have 
at  the  oyster  pond,  where  we  designed  to  take  boat 
to  cross  y^  Sound.  "Why  truly,"  said  he,  "if  you 
would  eat  such  things  as  we  Gentiles  do,  you  may 
live  very  well,  but  as  your  law  forbids  you  to  eat 
swine's  flesh  your  living  will  be  but  indifferent." 
Parker  laughed,  and  asked  him  if  he  took  us  for 
Jews  or  Mahometans.  He  replied:  "Gentlemen,  I 
ask  pardon,  but  the  landlady  informed  me  you  were 
Jews."  This  notion  proceeded  from  our  refusing 
of  bacon  to  our  eggs  at  dinner. 

While  we  were  at  supper  there  came  in  a  peddler 


114 


with  his  pack,  along  with  one  Doctor  Hull,  a  prac- 
titioner of  physick  in  the  town.  We  were  told  that 
this  doctor  was  a  man  of  great  learning,  and  very 
much  of  a  gentleman.  The  peddler  went  to  show 
him  some  linen  by  candle-light,  and  told  him  very 
ingenuously  that  now  he  would  be  upon  honour 
with  him  and  recommend  to  him  the  best  of  his 
wares,  and  as  to  the  price  he  would  let  him  know 
the  highest  and  lowest  at  one  word,  and  would  not 
bate  one  penny  of  six  shillings  a  yard.  There  passed 
some  learned  conversation  betwixt  this  doctor  and 
peddler,  in  which  the  doctor  made  it  plain  that  the 
lawyers,  clergy,  and  doctors  tricked  the  rest  of 
mankind  out  of  the  best  part  of  their  substance,  and 
made  them  pay  well  for  doing  of  nothing.  But  the 
peddler  stood  up  mightily  for  the  honour  of  his  own 
profession,  and  affirmed  that  they  made  as  good  a 
hand  of  it  as  any  cheat  among  them  all;  "but  then," 
added  he,  "you  have  something  to  handle  for  your 
money,  good  or  bad,  as  it  happens."  We  left  this 
company  at  nine  o'clock  at  night,  and  went  upstairs 
to  bed,  all  in  one  chamber. 


Oyster  Pond 

Friday,  July  iph.—Wt  took  horse  after  six  in  the 
morning  and  rid  five  or  six  miles  close  by  the  Sound 
till  we  came  to  one  Brown's,  who  was  to  give  us 
passage  in  his  boat.  Then  we  proceeded  seven 
miles  farther,  and  stopped  at  one  King's  to  wait 
the  tide  when  Brown's  boat  was  to  fall  down  the 
river,  to  take  us  in.  The  family  at  King's  were  all 
busy  in  preparing  dinner,  the  provision  for  which 

115 


chiefly  consisted  in  garden  stuff.  Here  we  saw 
some  handsome  country  girls,  one  of  whom  wore  a 
perpetual  smile  in  her  face,  and  prepared  the  choco- 
late for  our  breakfast.  She  presently  captivated 
Parker,  who  was  apt  to  take  flame  upon  all  occa- 
sions. After  breakfast  for  pastime  we  read  Que- 
vedo's  visions,  and  at  one  o'clock  dined  with  the 
family  upon  fat  pork  and  green  pease.  At  two 
o'clock  we  observed  the  boat  falling  down  the  river, 
and  having  provided  ourselves  with  a  store  of  bread 
and  cheese  and  some  rum  and  sugar,  in  case  of  being 
detained  upon  the  water,  that  part  of  the  Sound 
which  we  had  to  cross  being  eighteen  miles  broad, 
we  put  our  horses  on  board  ten  minutes  before 
three,  and  set  sail  with  a  fair  wind  from  the  Oyster 
Pond. 

Sound 

At  three  o'clock  we  crossed  the  Gut,  a  rapid  current, 
betwixt  the  main  of  Long  Island  and  Shelter  Island, 
caused  by  the  tides. 

Shelter  Island— Gardiner's  Island 

At  a  quarter  after  three,  we  cleared  Shelter  Island, 
larboard,  upon  our  weather  bow.  Gardiner's  Is- 
land bore  east  by  north,  starboard,  about  three 
leagues'  distance.  This  island  is  in  the  possession 
of  one  man,  and  takes  its  name  from  him.  It  had 
been  a  prey  to  the  French  privateers  in  Queen 
Anne's  war,  who  used  to  land  upon  it  and  plunder 
the  family  and  tenants  of  their  stock  and  provi- 

ii6 


sions,  the  island  lying  very  bleak  upon  the  ocean, 
just  at  the  easternmost  entry  of  the  Sound,  betwixt 
Long  Island  and  the  main  of  Connecticut. 

Fisher's  Island— Two-tree  Island 

A  LITTLE  to  the  northward  of  this  lies  Fisher's  Island, 
and  about  three  or  four  leagues'  distance  upon  our 
larboard  we  saw  a  small  island  called  Two-tree  Is- 
land, because  they  say  there  are  only  two  trees  upon 
it,  which  are  of  a  particular  kind  of  wood,  which 
nobody  there  can  give  a  name  to,  nor  are  such  trees 
to  be  seen  anywhere  else  in  the  country. 

Connecticut  Government— New  London 

We  arrived  in  the  harbour  at  New  London  at  half 
an  hour  after  six,  and  put  up  at  Duchand's  at  the 
sign  of  the  Anchor.  The  town  of  New  London  is 
irregularly  built  along  the  water  side,  in  length 
about  a  mile.  There  is  in  it  one  Presbyterian  meet- 
ing and  one  church.  'T  is  just  such  another  deso- 
late, extensive  town  as  Annapolis  in  Maryland,  the 
houses  being  mostly  wood.  The  inhabitants  were 
alarmed  this  night  at  a  sloop  that  appeared  to  be 
rowing  up  into  the  harbour,  they  having  heard  a 
little  before  a  firing  of  guns  out  in  the  Sound,  and 
seen  one  vessel,  as  they  thought,  give  chase  to  an- 
other. There  was  a  strange  clamour  and  crowd  in 
the  street,  chiefly  of  women.  The  country  station 
sloop  lay  in  the  harbour,  who,  when  she  was  within 
shot,  sent  her  a  salute;  first  one  gun,  sharp  shot, 

117 


but  the  advancing  sloop  did  not  strike ;  then  she  be- 
stowed upon  her  another,  resolving  next  to  proceed 
to  a  volley;  but  at  the  second  shot,  which  whistled 
thro'  her  rigging,  she  struck  and  made  answer  that 
it  was  one  Captain  Trueman  from  Antigua.  Then 
the  people's  fears  were  over,  for  they  imagined  it 
was  old  Morpang,  the  French  rover,  who  in  former 
times  used  to  plunder  these  parts  when  he  wanted 
provision. 

New  London  Ferry 

Saturday,  July  14th.— We  departed  New  London 
at  seven  o'clock  in  the  morning,  crossing  the  ferry, 
and  rid  eight  miles  thro'  a  very  stony  rough  road, 
where  the  stones  upon  each  hand  of  us  seemed  as 
large  as  houses,  and  the  way  itself  a  mere  rock. 

Stonington 

This  is  properly  enough  called  Stonington.  We 
breakfasted  at  one  Major  Williams's,  and  pro- 
ceeded ten  miles  farther  to  Thomson's,  where  we 
baited  our  horses.  Here  we  met  one  Captain  Noise,  ^  >'  ^ 
a  dealer  in  cattle,  whose  name  and  character  seemed 
pretty  well  to  agree,  for  he  talked  very  loud,  and 
joaked  and  laughed  heartily  at  nothing. 

Rhode  Island  and  Providence  Government 

The  landlady  here  was  a  queer  old  woman,  an  enor- 
mous heap  of  fat.    She  had  some  daughters  and 

118 


maids,  whom  she  called  by  comical  names.  There 
were  Thankful,  Charity,  Patience,  Comfort,  Hope, 
etc. 

Upon  the  road  here  stands  a  house  belonging  to 
an  Indian  King  named  George,  commonly  called 
King  George's  house  or  palace.  He  possesses 
twenty  or  thirty  thousand  acres  of  very  fine  level 
land  round  this  house,  upon  which  he  has  many 
tenants,  and  has  of  his  own  a  good  stock  of  horses 
and  other  cattle.  The  King  lives  after  the  English 
mode.  His  subjects  have  lost  their  own  govern- 
ment policy  and  laws,  and  are  servants  or  vassals 
to  the  English  here.  His  queen  goes  in  a  high 
modish  dress  in  her  silks,  hoops,  stays,  and  dresses 
like  an  Englishwoman.  He  educates  his  children 
to  the  belles  lettres  and  is  himself  a  very  complaisant, 
mannerly  man.  We  payed  him  a  visit,  and  he 
treated  us  with  a  glass  of  good  wine. 

We  dined  at  one  Hill's,  and  going  from  thence 
at  four  o'clock,  and  travelling  thro'  twelve  miles 
more  of  stony,  rough  road,  we  passed  by  an  old- 
fashioned  wooden  house  at  the  end  of  a  lane,  dark- 
ened and  shaded  over  with  a  thick  grove  of  tall 
trees.  This  appeared  to  me  very  romantic,  and 
brought  into  my  mind  some  romantic  descriptions 
of  rural  scenes  in  Spenser's  Faerie  Queene. 


Sugar  Loaf 

About  a  quarter  of  a  mile  farther,  at  the  end  of  a 
lane,  is  a  little  hill,  that  rises  up  in  a  conical  form 
and  is  therefore  called  the  Sugar  Loaf.  The  fenc- 
ing here  is  all  stone.    We  could  see  to  our  right 


119 


hand  the  ocean  and  part  of  the  Sound,  the  long 
point  of  Long  Island  called  Montague  Block  Is- 
land, and  at  a  good  distance,  behind  an  island  called 
Conannicut,  part  of  Rhode  Island. 

At  six  o'clock  we  arrived  at  a  village  called 
Tower  Hill  or  South  Kingstown.  It  lies  near  the 
sea.  All  round  here  the  country  is  high,  hilly,  and 
rocky;  few  woods  and  these  dwarfish.  You  have 
a  large,  extensive  prospect  from  here,  both  to  the 
sea  and  landward.  We  put  up  at  the  house  of  one 
Case  in  Kingstown,  who  keeps  a  pretty  good  house, 
is  a  talkative,  prating  man,  and  would  have  every- 
body know  that  he  keeps  the  best  public  house  in 
the  country.  We  heard  news  of  some  prizes 
brought  into  Newport  by  the  Rhode  Island  pri- 
vateers, and  among  the  rest  a  large  Spanish  snow, 
with  no  loading,  but  30,000  pounds'  value.  New 
England  money,  in  silver,  which  is  5,000  pounds 
sterling. 

Sunday,  July  i^th.—We  tarried  at  Case's  all  this 
day,  it  being  unlawful  here  to  travel  upon  Sunday,  or, 
as  they  term  it,  Sabbath  day  (Sunday  being  a  pagan 
name).  We  loitered  about  all  the  forenoon,  having 
nothing  to  do  and  no  books  to  read,  except  it  was  a 
curious  History  of  the  Nine  Worthies  (which  we 
found  in  Case's  library),  a  book  worthy  of  that 
worthy  author  Mr.  Burton,  the  diligent  compiler 
and  historian  of  Grub  Street.  Case  was  mightily 
offended  by  Mr.  Laughton  for  singing  and  whis- 
tling, telling  him  that  he  ought  not  so  to  profane 
the  sabbath.  Laughton  swore  that  he  had  forgot 
what  day  it  was,  but  Case  was  still  more  offended  at 
his  swearing,  and  left  us  in  bad  himiour. 


120 


This  day  was  bleak  and  stormy,  the  wind  being 
at  east  by  north.  I  diverted  myself  by  looking  at 
the  coasting  sloops  passing  up  and  down  by  Con- 
nannicut  Point,  which  runs  out  here,  much  like 
Greenberry's  near  Annapolis,  but  is  quite  bare, 
rocky,  and  barren.  Upon  it  the  tide  beats  with 
great  violence,  so  as  to  raise  a  white  foam  a  great 
way  round  it.  We  dined  at  three  o'clock,  and 
after  dinner  walked  out  to  see  our  horses  in  the 
pasture,  where  my  gray,  having  laid  himself  down 
at  full  length  to  sleep,  I  imagined  at  a  distance  that 
he  was  dead;  but  throwing  a  stone  at  him  he  started 
up  and  got  to  his  heels.  We  viewed  the  sea  from  a 
high  rock,  where  we  could  see  the  spray  beating  with 
violence  over  the  tops  of  the  rocks  upon  the  coast,  and 
below  us,  of  three  or  four  miles'  extent,  a  pleasant 
green  meadow,  thro'  the  middle  of  which  ran  a  pretty 
winding  river.  Most  of  the  country  round  is  open, 
hilly,  and  rocky,  and  upon  the  rocks  there  is  a  great 
deal  of  spar,  or  substance  like  white  marble,  but  in 
very  small  pieces. 

We  returned  home  at  six  o'clock,  and  had  a  ram- 
bling conversation  with  Case  and  a  certain  traveller 
upon  different  subjects.  There  came  to  the  house 
at  night  a  Rhode  Island  colonel  (for  in  this  coun- 
try there  is  great  plenty  of  colonels,  captains,  and 
majors),  who  diverted  us  with  some  stories  about 
the  Newlightmen.  There  are  a  great  many 
Seventhdaymen  here,  who  keep  Saturday  instead 
of  Sunday,  and  so  go  to  work  when  others  go  to 
church.  Most  of  the  people  here  begin  their  Sun- 
day upon  Saturday  night  after  sunset,  and  end  it 
upon  Sunday  at  sunset,  when  they  go  to  any  kind 
of  recreation  or  work  upon  other  days  lawful. 


121 


After  a  light  supper  of  bread  and  milk,  we  went  to 
bed. 

Naragantset  Ferry— Dutch  Island 

Monday,  July  idth.—We  set  off  from  Case's  at  half 
an  hour  after  six  in  the  morning,  and  crossed 
Conannicut  Ferry  or  Naragantset  betwixt  eight 
and  nine  o'clock. 


Rhode  Island  Ferry 

There  is  a  small  island  lies  betwixt  the  main  and 
Conannicut,  called  Dutch  Island,  because  the  Dutch 
first  took  possession  of  it.  We  crossed  the  other 
ferry  to  Newport,  upon  Rhode  Island,  a  little  after 
ten  o'clock,  and  had  a  very  heavy  rain  all  the  pas- 
sage. 

Dumplin's— Rose  Island 

There  are  some  rocks  there  called  the  Dumplin's, 
and  a  little  above  a  small  island  called  Rose  Island, 
upon  which  there  is  one  tree.  Here  you  have  very 
pretty  views  and  prospects  from  the  mixture  of 
land  and  water.  As  we  stepped  into  the  ferry  boat 
there  were  some  stones  lay  in  her  bottom,  which 
obstructed  the  horses  getting  in.  Dromo  desired 
the  skipper  to  "trow  away  his  stones,  de  horse  be 
better  ballast."  "No,"  says  the  fellow,  "I  cannot 
part  with  my  stones  yet ;  they  will  serve  for  a  good 
use  at  another  time." 

We  arrived  at  Newport  at  12  o'clock.  Rhode 


OLD  STATE  HOUSE 
Newport,  R.  L 


a8UOH  3TAT8  CUO 
.1  .a  ^ToqwsW 


1 


Island  IS  a  pleasant,  open  spot  of  land,  being  an 
entire  garden  of  farms,  twelve  or  thirteen  miles 
long  and  four  or  five  miles  broad  at  its  broadest 
part.  The  town  Newport  is  about  a  mile  long, 
lying  pretty  near  north  and  south.  It  stands  upon 
a  very  level  spot  of  ground,  and  consists  of  one 
street,  narrow,  but  so  straight  that,  standing  at  one 
end  of  it,  you  may  see  to  the  other.  It  is  just  close 
upon  the  water.  There  are  several  lanes  going 
from  this  street,  on  both  sides.  Those  to  the  land- 
ward are  some  of  them  pretty  long  and  broad. 
There  is  one  large  Market-house,  near  the  south 
end  of  the  main  street.  The  Town-house  stands  a 
little  above  this  Market-house,  away  from  the 
water,  and  is  a  handsome  brick  edifice,  lately  built, 
having  a  cupola  at  top.  There  is  besides  in  this 
town  two  Presbyterian  meetings,  one  large  Quaker 
meeting,  one  Anabaptist,  and  one  Church  of  Eng- 
land.^ The  church  has  a  very  fine  organ  in  it,  and 
there  is  a  publick  clock  upon  the  steeple  as  also 
upon  the  front  of  the  Town-house.  The  fort^  is  a 
square  building  of  brick  and  stone,  standing  upon 
a  small  island,  which  makes  the  harbour.  This 
place  is  famous  for  privateering,  and  they  had  about 
this  time  brought  in  several  prizes,  among  which 
was  a  large  Spanish  snow  near  200  tons  burden, 
which  I  saw  in  the  harbour,  with  her  bowsprit 
shot  oflf. 

This  town  is  as  remarkable  for  pretty  women  as 
Albany  is  for  ugly  ones,  many  of  whom  one  may 
see  sitting  in  the  shops  in  passing  along  the  street. 
I  dined  at  a  tavern  kept  by  one  Nicolls  at  the  sign 

1  Trinity  Church,  still  standing  almost  unimpaired — as  it  stood  over  a 
century  ago. 

2  Situated  on  Goat  Island,  then  called  Fort  George. 

123 


of  the  White  Horse,  where  I  had  put  up  my  horses, 
and  in  the  afternoon,  Dr.  Mofifatt/  an  old  acquaint- 
ance and  schoolfellow  of  mine,  led  me  a  course 
thro'  the  town.  He  carried  me  to  see  one  Feake,^ 
a  painter,  the  most  extraordinary  genius  ever  I 
knew,  for  he  does  pictures  tolerably  well  by  the 
force  of  genius,  having  never  had  any  teaching. 
I  saw  a  large  table  of  the  Judgment  of  Hercules, 
copied  by  him  from  a  frontispiece  of  the  Earl  of 
Shaftesbury's,  which  I  thought  very  well  done. 
This  man  had  exactly  the  phiz  of  a  painter,  hav- 
ing a  long  pale  face,  sharp  nose,  large  eyes,— 
with  which  he  looked  upon  you  steadfastly,— long 
curled  black  hair,  a  delicate  white  hand,  and  long 
fingers. 

I  went  with  Moflfatt  in  the  evening  to  Dr. Keith's, 
another  countryman  and  acquaintance,  where  we 
spent  the  evening  very  agreeably  in  the  company  of 
one  Dr.  Brett,''  a  very  facetious  old  man.  I  soon 
found  that  Keith  passed  for  a  man  of  great  gal- 
lantry here,  being  frequently  visited  by  the  young 
ladies  in  town,  who  are  generally  very  airy  and 
frolicsome.  He  showed  me  a  drawer  full  of  the 
trophies  of  the  fair,  which  he  called  his  cabinet  of 
curiosities.  They  consisted  of  torn  fans,  frag- 
ments of  gloves,  whims,  snuff-boxes,  girdles,  apron- 
strings,  laced  shoes  and  shoe-heels,  pin-cushions, 
hussifs,  and  a  deal  of  other  such  trumpery.  I  lay 
this  night  at  Dr.  Moffatt's  lodging. 

1  Probably  the  Dr.  Thomas  Moffatt  whose  property  was  attacked  by 
rioters  at  Newport  in  1765. 

2  Robert  Feke,  son  of  a  Quaker ;  disinherited  because  he  became  a  Bap- 
tist ;  learned  to  paint  while  a  prisoher  in  Spain  ;  spent  most  of  the  remainder 
of  his  life  in  Newport,  where  he  died,  aged  forty-five.  A  portrait  from  his 
hand  is  in  the  Redwood  Library,  Newport. 

3  Dr.  John  Bret,  came  from  Leyden  to  Newport  in  1740. 


124 


Tuesday  J  July  lyth.—l  breakfasted  with  Dr.  Mof- 
fatt,  and  had  recommendatory  letters  of  him  to 
some  of  the  fraternity  in  Boston.  I  went  with  the 
Doctor  at  ten  o'clock  to  see  a  house  about  half  a 
mile  out  of  town,  built  lately  by  one  Captain  Mall- 
bone/  a  substantial  trader  there.  It  is  the  largest 
and  most  magnificent  dwelling-house  I  have  seen  in 
America.  It  is  built  entirely  of  hewn  stone  of  a 
reddish  colour;  the  sides  of  the  windows  and  cor- 
ner-stones of  the  house  being  painted  like  white 
marble.  It  is  three  stories  high,  and  the  rooms  are 
spacious  and  magnificent.  There  is  a  large  lan- 
thern  or  cupola  on  the  roof,  which  is  covered  with 
sheet  lead.  The  whole  staircase,  which  is  very 
spacious  and  large,  is  done  with  mahogany  wood. 
This  house  makes  a  grand  show  at  a  distance,  but 
is  not  extraordinary  for  the  architecture,  being  a 
clumsy  Dutch  model.  Round  it  are  pretty  gardens 
and  terraces,  with  canals  and  basins  for  water,  from 
whence  you  have  a  delightful  view  of  the  town  and 
harbour  of  Newport,  with  the  shipping  lying  there. 

When  Mr.  Parker  and  Laughton  came  up,  we 
proceeded  on  our  journey,  riding  along  the  island 
a  broad  and  even  road,  where  our  eyes  were  enter- 
tained with  various  beautiful  prospects  of  the  conti- 
nent, islands,  and  water.  From  some  high  places 
we  could  see  Block  Island  to  the  westward.  We 
dined  at  Burden's,  a  Quaker,  who  keeps  the  ferry, 
where  we  had  good  entertainment,  and  met  with 
one  Mr.  Lee,  a  proprietor  in  some  iron  works  near 
Boston.  We  crossed  the  ferry  at  four  o'clock,  and 
rid  some  miles  of  stony,  unequal  road. 

1  Captain  Godfrey  Malbone,  partner  with  Hopkins  in  the  ownership  of  a 
number  of  vessels. 


Massachusetts  Province— Mount  Hope 


As  we  entered  the  Province  of  the  Massachusetts 
Bay,  upon  the  left  hand  we  saw  a  hill  called  Mount 
Hope,  formerly  the  stronghold  or  refuge  of  an 
Indian  king  named  Philip,  who  held  the  place  a 
long  time  against  the  first  settlers,  and  used  to  be 
very  troublesome  by  making  excursions. 

Bristol 

We  passed  thro'  Bristol,  a  small  trading  town,  laid 
out  in  the  same  manner  as  Philadelphia,  about 
three  o'clock.  We  crossed  another  little  ferry  at 
five  o'clock,  and  baited  at  one  Hunt's,  then  riding 
ten  miles  farther  we  parted  with  Mr.  Lee,  and  lay 
that  night  at  one  Slake's,  at  the  sign  of  the  White 
Horse. 

Wednesday,  July  i8th.—We  set  out  a  little  after  six 
in  the  morning,  breakfasted  at  Mann's,^  and  from 
thence  went  ten  miles  farther  to  Robins's,^  where 
we  parted.  We  were  resolved  to  dine  at  Dedham, 
but  were  scarce  got  upon  our  horses  when  we  were 
met  by  a  company  of  gentlemen,  who  being  ac- 
quaintances of  Parker  and  Laughton,  they  per- 
suaded us  to  turn  back  to  Robins's  again.  There 
was  in  this  company  one  Cofifin,^  who  inquired  after 
my  brother  in  Maryland,  and  told  me  he  had  once 
been  a  patient  of  his  when  at  Benedict  Town  upon 
Patuxent,  about  sixteen  or  seventeen  years  ago. 

1  Mann's  Tavern  was  situated  in  Wrentham. 

2  Robin's  Tavern  was  situated  in  Walpole. 

'  Perhaps  William  Coffin,  tax  collector  of  Suffolk  County. 

126 


In  this  house  I  and  my  company  were  taken  for 
peddlers.  There  happened  to  be  a  peddler  there 
selling  some  wares,  who  saw  me  open  my  port- 
manteau and  sort  some  bundles  and  packets  of 
letters.  He  mistook  my  portmanteau  for  a  pack, 
for  it  is  not  very  customary  here  to  ride  with  such 
implements,  and  so  would  have  chaffered  with  me 
for  some  goods. 

While  we  were  at  dinner  one  Mr.  Lightfoot  came 
in,  to  whom  I  had  a  recommendatory  letter.  This 
Lightfoot  is  a  gentleman  of  a  regular  education, 
having  been  brought  up  at  Oxford  in  England,  a 
man  of  good  humour  and  excellent  sense.  He  had 
upon  his  head,  when  he  entered  the  company,  a 
straw  hat  dyed  black,  but  no  wig.  He  told  us  that 
he  always  rode  in  this  trim  in  hot  weather,  but  that 
among  the  country  people  he  had  been  taken  for  a 
French  spy,  upon  account  of  the  oddity  of  his  dress. 
He  said  he  had  heard  a  grand  laugh  as  he  passed 
by,  and  guessing  that  there  were  some  Boston  peo- 
ple in  the  company  he  was  induced  to  call  in.  Then 
he  pulled  about  two  pounds  of  black  rye  bread  out 
of  his  pocket,  and  told  us  that  he  thought  perhaps 
he  might  come  to  some  places  upon  the  road  where 
there  might  be  a  scarcity  of  fine  bread,  and  there- 
fore had  provided  himself. 

We  had  news  here  of  the  French  having,  along 
with  the  Cape  Sable  and  St.  John  Indians,  made  an 
attack  upon  Annapolis  Royal,  and  that  they  had 
killed  all  their  cattle  and  several  men  there,  and 
burnt  down  all  the  houses  in  the  town,  so  that  the 
inhabitants,  in  the  utmost  distress,  were  obliged  to 
betake  themselves  to  the  fort,  where  they  were 
scanty  of  provisions  and  ready  to  surrender,  when 


127 


Ting/  master  of  the  Boston  galley,  came  seasonably 
to  their  assistance  with  a  reinforcement  of  men  and 
a  fresh  supply  of  provisions,  and  as  soon  as  the 
enemy  heard  his  guns  they  fled  into  the  woods. 
This  Ting  has  gained  a  great  character  here  for  his 
conduct  and  courage. 

Dedham 

We  parted  from  Robins's  a  little  after  three,  and 
betwixt  five  and  six  arrived  at  Dedham,  a  village 
within  eleven  miles  of  Boston,  where  we  rested  a 
little  and  drank  some  punch.  Lightfoot  had  a 
scolding  bout  here  with  one  Betty,  the  landlady's 
daughter,  for  secreting  one  of  our  lemons,  and  was 
obliged  to  vent  a  deal  of  billingsgate,  and  swear  a 
string  of  lusty  oaths,  before  he  could  recover  it 
again.  He  told  me  that  this  place  was  the  most 
sharping  country  ever  I  was  in,  and  that  this  little 
peddling  trick  was  only  the  beginning  of  it,  and 
nothing  to  what  I  should  experience  if  I  stayed  but 
some  weeks  there.  We  took  horse  at  half  an  hour 
after  six,  and  passed  several  pretty  country  boxes  at 
three  or  four  miles'  distance  from  Boston,  belonging 
to  gentlemen  in  the  town. 

Blue  Hills 

At  thirteen  miles'  distance  from  Boston  is  a  range 
of  hills,  called  the  Blue  Hills,  upon  the  top  of  one  of 
which  a  gentleman  has  built  a  country  house,  where 

1  Edward  Tyng,  captain  of  the  galley  Boston  from  1740.  In  1744  cap- 
tured a  French  privateer  commanded  by  Mons.  De  La  Bra. 


128 


there  is  a  very  extensive  view.  A  quarter  before 
eight  we  arrived  in  Boston. 

Boston 

There  I  put  my  horses  at  one  Barker's^  and  took 
lodging  at  Mrs.  Guneau's,  a  Frenchwoman,  at  the 
back  of  the  Almshouse,  near  Beacon  Hill,  a  very 
pleasant  part  of  the  town,  situated  high  and  well 
aired.  My  landlady  and  I  conversed  about  two 
hours.  She  informed  me  that  one  Mr.  Hughes,^  a 
merchant,  that  lately  had  been  in  Maryland,  lodged 
at  her  house,  which  I  was  glad  to  hear,  having  had 
some  small  acquaintance  with  him.  My  landlady 
was  a  Frenchwoman,  and  had  much  of  the  humour 
of  that  nation,  a  deal  of  talk  and  a  deal  of  action. 
I  went  to  bed  at  eleven  o'clock. 

Thursday,  July  igth.—l  got  up  half  an  hour  after 
five  in  the  morning,  and  after  breakfast  I  took  a 
turn  in  the  garden  with  Mr.  Hughes,  from  whence 
we  had  a  view  of  the  whole  town  of  Boston,  and 
the  peninsula  upon  which  it  stands.  The  neck  which 
joins  this  peninsula  to  the  land  is  situated  southwest 
from  the  town,  and  at  low  water  is  not  above  thirty 
or  forty  paces  broad,  and  is  so  flat  and  level  that  in 
high  tides  it  is  sometimes  overflowed.  The  town 
is  built  upon  the  south  and  southeast  side  of  the 
peninsula  and  is  about  two  miles  in  length,  extend- 
ing from  the  neck  of  the  peninsula  northward  to 
that  place  called  North  End,  as  that  extremity  of 

1  Barker's  Tavern,  later  known  as  the  Bunch  of  Grapes  Tavern  on  the 
corner  of  Kilby  Street  (formerly  Mackerel  Lane)  and  State  Street. 

2  Samuel  Hughes,  a  citizen  of  Boston. 

129 


the  town  next  the  neck  is  called  South  End.  Be- 
hind the  town  are  several  pleasant  plains,  and  on 
the  west  side  of  the  peninsula  are  three  hills  in  a 
range,  upon  the  highest  of  which  is  placed  a  long 
beacon  pole.  To  the  northward  over  the  water  is 
situated  a  pretty  large  town  called  Charlestown. 
We  could  see  a  great  many  islands  out  in  the  bay, 
upon  one  of  which,  about  three  miles  from  town, 
stands  the  Castle,^  a  strong  fortification,  that  guards 
the  entry  of  the  harbour  upon  the  most  extreme 
island.  About  twelve  miles  out  is  the  Lighthouse,^ 
a  high  building  of  stone  in  form  of  a  pillar,  upon 
the  top  of  which  every  night  is  kept  a  light  to  guide 
ships  into  the  harbour.  When  a  snow,  brig,  sloop, 
or  schooner  appears  out  at  sea  they  hoist  a  pinnace 
upon  the  flag-staff  in  the  Castle ;  if  a  ship,  they  dis- 
play a  flag. 

At  twelve  o'clock  I  waited  upon  Mr.  Hooper,^ 
one  of  the  ministers  in  Boston,  and  from  thence 
went  to  Mr.  Lechmere's,*  the  surveyor's,  to  whom 
my  letters  of  credit  were  directed.  From  his 
house  I  went  to  the  Change,  a  place  of  public  ren- 
dezvous. Here  is  a  great  building  called  the  Town- 
house,^ about  125  feet  long  and  forty  feet  broad.  The 
lower  chamber  of  this  house,  called  the  Change,  is 
all  one  apartment,  the  roof  of  which  is  supported 
all  along  the  middle  with  a  row  of  wooden  pillars, 
about  twenty-five  feet  high.    Upon  Change  I  met 

1  Castle  Island. 

2  Situated  on  Great  Brewster  (called  Beacon  Island),  established  in  1715. 

3  Rev.  William  Hooper,  first  minister  of  the  West  Church,  Boston,  1737. 
*  Thomas  Lechmere,  surveyor  general  of  customs  for  the  northern  dis- 
trict of  America;  died  1 765. 

5  The  Exchange  and  Town  House  were  originally  one  and  the  same 
building;  now  the  Old  State  House,  corner  of  Washington  and  State  Streets 
(called  King  Street  until  1784). 

130 


Mr.  Hutchinson  ^  and  Captain  Wendall,^  to  whom  I 
dehvered  letters.  I  went  down  to  view  the  Long 
Wharf.  This  runs  in  a  direct  Hne  with  a  broad 
street  called  King's  Street,  and  is  carried  into  the 
water  pretty  near  a  quarter  of  a  mile.  Upon  one 
side  of  this  wharf  all  along,  there  is  a  range  of 
wooden  houses,  and  close  by  the  wharf  lies  a  very 
numerous  shipping.  I  dined  at  Withered's,  a  tav- 
ern at  the  Change,  and  there  heard  news  of  the 
magazines  at  Placentia  being  blown  up. 

In  the  afternoon  about  six  o'clock,  Messrs.  Par- 
ker and  Laughton  called  at  my  lodging,  and  with 
them  I  took  a  tour  round  the  north  end  of  the  town, 
and  to  the  waterside,  after  which  we  went  to  a  club 
at  Withered's,  where  there  was  a  pot-bellied  doctor 
president.  This  man  was  as  round  as  a  ball,  about 
five  feet  high,  and  pretended  to  be  very  knowing  in 
politicks.  He  was  a  Frenchman  by  birth,  and  I 
understood  he  was  by  trade  a  usurer,  letting  out 
money  at  ten  per  cent.  I  left  this  club  at  ten  o'clock 
and  went  home. 

Friday,  July  20th. — I  got  up  pretty  early  and  took  a 
turn  in  the  garden.  At  eleven  o'clock  I  went 
abroad  with  Mr.  Hughes,  and  after  taking  a  walk 
to  the  waterside  we  went  to  Change  at  twelve 
o'clock,  where  I  delivered  several  letters.  I  saw 
at  Change  some  Frenchmen,  officers  of  the  flag  of 
truce,  with  prisoners  for  exchange  from  Canso,  and 
of  the  privateer  taken  by  Captain  Ting.  They 
were  very  loquacious,  after  the  manner  of  their 
nation,  and  their  discourse  for  the  most  part  was 

1  Eliakim  Hutchinson,  son-in-law  of  Governor  Shirley;  in  the  salt  trade. 

2  Captain  Jacob  Wendell,  a  prominent  merchant ;  many  times  moderator 
of  the  Boston  town  meeting. 


interlaced  with  oaths  and  smut.  At  two  o'clock 
Mr.  Hughes  and  I  dined  with  Mr.  Hooper,  where 
we  had  some  agreeable  conversation.  I  came  home 
in  the  afternoon,  and  writ  some  letters  to  go  by 
the  ships  to  Great  Britain. 

Saturday,  July  21st.— I  rose  later  than  usual  this 
morning,  and  breakfasted  with  Mrs.  Guneau  and 
her  daughter,  the  latter  a  passably  handsome  girl, 
nothing  of  the  French  spirit  in  her,  but  rather  too 
grave  and  sedate.  Near  twelve  o'clock  I  walked 
out  with  Mr.  Hughes,  and  went  to  Change,  where, 
after  attending  some  time,  and  observing  a  variety 
of  comical  phizes,  I  encountered  Captain  Wendall, 
who  pointed  out  Dr.  Douglass  ^  and  Mr,  Arbuthnot  ^ 
to  me,  to  whom  I  delivered  letters. 

I  was  invited  to  dine  with  Captain  Irvin,^  upon 
salt  codfish,  which  here  is  a  common  Saturday  din- 
ner, being  elegantly  dressed  with  a  sauce  of  butter 
and  eggs.  In  our  company  here  was  one  Captain 
Petty,  a  very  hard-favored  man,  a  Scotsman  by 
birth,  humpbacked,  and  the  tallest  humpy  ever  I 
saw,  being  six  feet  high  at  least.  There  was  one 
Perkins,  a  little  round-faced  man,  a  trader  in  the 
place.  The  discourse  turned  chiefly  upon  com- 
merce and  trade,  and  thro'  the  whole  of  it  I  could 
discover  a  vein  of  that  subtlety  and  acuteness  so 

1  Dr.  William  Douglass,  born  in  Scotland,  1691  ;  came  to  Boston,  1718  ; 
opposed  inoculation  for  smallpox  ;  printed  an  almanac,  Mercurius  Novan- 
glicantts,  1 743-1 744;  wrote  a  treatise  on  smallpox  and  other  medical  works  ; 
chiefly  renowned  for  his  Summary,  Historical  and  Political,  of  the  British 
Settlements  in  North  America,  in  two  volumes,  published  in  Boston  1747- 
1750,  republished  in  London,  1755,  a  work  which,  though  diffuse  and  dis- 
ordered, is  one  of  the  standard  sources  on  the  period. 

2  Probably  Mr.  John  Arbuthnot,  innkeeper  in  Essex  Street ;  an  ofl5cer 
of  Trinity  Church  in  1 740. 

2  Probably  Col.  John  Erving. 


132 


peculiar  to  a  New  England  genius.  Mr.  Arbuthnot 
and  I  had  some  disputes  concerning  some  particular 
High  Church  maxims,  but  as  I  looked  upon  the 
promoters  and  favourers  of  these  doctrines  to  be 
every  whit  as  absurd  and  silly  as  the  doctrines  them- 
selves, and  adapted  only  for  weak  people,  so  I 
thought  all  argumentation  was  thrown  away  upon 
them,  and  therefore  I  dropped  the  dispute,  for,  as 
I  was  a  stranger,  I  cared  not,  for  the  sake  of  such 
damned  trifles,  to  procure  the  odium  or  ill  will  of 
any  person  in  the  place.  After  dinner  I  went  home 
and  slept  till  the  evening,  the  weather  being  pretty 
hot,  and  I  having  drunk  too  much  wine,  it  made  me 
heavy. 

Sunday,  July  After  breakfast  I  went  with  Mr. 

Hughes  to  Hooper's  meeting,^  where  we  heard  a 
very  good  discourse,  and  saw  a  genteel  congrega- 
tion. The  ladies  were  most  of  them  in  high  dress. 
This  meeting-house  is  a  handsome  new  wooden 
building,  with  a  huge  spire  or  steeple  at  the  north 
end  of  it.  The  pulpit  is  large  and  neat,  with  a  large 
sounding-board,  supported  at  each  end  with  pilas- 
ters of  the  Doric  order,  fluted,  and  behind  it  there 
is  a  high  arched  door,  over  which  hangs  a  green  cur- 
tain. The  pulpit  cushion  is  of  green  velvet,  and  all 
the  windows  in  the  meeting  are  mounted  with  green 
curtains. 

After  dismissing  I  went  to  Change,  and  return- 
ing from  thence  dined  with  Mr.  Lechmere.  There 
was  a  lady  at  table  of  a  very  masculine  make, 
but  dressed  fine  a  la  mode.    She  did  not  appear  till 

1  King's  Chapel,  on  the  corner  of  Tremont  and  School  Streets ;  first 
erected  in  1688;  enlarged  in  1 710,  and  rebuilt  in  1753;  portico  not  com- 
pleted until  1789. 


dinner  was  almost  over,  pretending  she  could  not 
endure  the  smell  of  the  victuals,  and  was  every  now 
and  then  lugging  out  her  sal  volatile  and  Hungary 
water,  but  this  I  observed  was  only  a  modish  air, 
for  she  made  a  shift  betwixt  times  to  swallow  down 
as  much  beef  and  pudding  as  anybody  at  the  table ; 
in  short  her  teeth  went  as  fast  as  her  tongue,  and 
the  motion  of  both  was  perpetual. 

After  dinner  I  went  to  the  English  chapel  with 
Mr.  Lechmere,  and  heard  a  small  organ  played  by 
an  indifferent  organist.  A  certain  pedantic  Irish- 
man preached  to  us,  who  had  much  of  the  brogue. 
He  gave  us  rather  a  philosophical  lecture  than  a 
sermon,  and  seemed  to  be  one  of  those  conceited  prigs 
who  are  fond  of  spreading  out  to  its  full  extent  all 
that  superficial  physical  knowledge  which  they  have 
acquired  more  by  hearsay  than  by  application  or 
study;  but  of  all  places  the  pulpit  is  the  most  im- 
proper for  the  ostentatious  of  this  sort;  the  lan- 
guage and  phraseology  of  which  sacred  rostrum 
ought  to  be  as  plain  to  the  ploughman  as  the  scholar. 
We  had  a  load  of  impertinence  from  him  about  the 
specific  gravity  of  air  and  water,  the  exhalation  of 
vapours,  the  expansion  and  condensation  of  clouds, 
the  operation  of  distillation,  and  the  chemistry  of 
nature.  It  fine  it  was  but  a  very  puerile  physical 
lecture,  and  no  sermon  at  all. 

There  sat  some  Indians  in  a  pew  near  me  who 
stank  so  that  they  had  almost  made  me  turn  up  my 
dinner.  They  made  a  profound  reverence  to  the 
parson  when  he  finished;  the  men  bowed,  and  the 
squaws  curtsied. 

After  dinner  I  writ  a  letter  for  Annapolis  and 
drank  tea  with  Mrs.  Guneau  and  some  ladies. 


134 


Monday,  July  2 ^d.— This  morning  I  walked  abroad 
with  Mr.  Hughes,  and  passed  over  the  dam  at  the 
reservoir^  to  the  north  end  of  the  town.  We  sur- 
veyed the  ships  a-building  upon  the  stocks,  and 
went  to  see  the  new  battery,  a  building  of  wood, 
just  at  the  entry  of  that  inlet  of  water  that  runs  up 
towards  Charlestown.  This  new  battery  mounts 
about  fourteen  or  fifteen  great  guns,  and  facing  the 
bay  it  runs  out  about  fifty  paces  into  the  water. 
From  thence  we  went  and  surveyed  the  merchants' 
warehouses,  which  stand  all  along  the  waterside. 

We  next  viewed  the  new  Market-house,^  an  ele- 
gant building  of  brick,  with  a  cupola  on  the  top, 
in  length  about  130  feet,  in  breadth  betwixt  40  and 
50.  This  was  built  at  the  proper  expense  of  one 
Funell,^  a  substantial  merchant  of  this  place,  lately 
dead,  and  presented  by  him  to  the  public.  It  is 
called  by  the  name  of  Funell  Hall,  and  stands 
near  a  little  inlet  of  water,  called  the  Town  dock,^ 
over  which,  a  little  below  the  Market-house,  is 
a  wooden  drawbridge  that  turns  upon  hinges  that 
small  vessels  may  pass  and  lie  above  it.  In  low 
tides  this  inlet  is  a  very  stinking  puddle. 

At  nine  o'clock  we  finished  our  tour,  and  came 
home  sharp-set  for  breakfast.  At  eleven  o'clock 
Mr.  Vans  ®  came  to  visit  me,  and  invited  me  to  dine 

1  Formerly  called  The  Pond. 

2  In  1734  the  town  had  three  local  markets,  situated  at  North  Square, 
Dock  Square,  and  on  the  present  ground  of  Boylston  Market;  Faneuil 
Hall  was  built  1742,  and  was  the  market-house  referred  to  here. 

•*  Peter  Faneuil,  born  1700,  merchant  of  Boston;  he  gave  Faneuil  Hall 
to  the  town;  died  1743.  The  spelling  bears  testimony  to  the  pronunci- 
ation of  the  name  still  used  by  some  old  people. 

*  Town  Dock  crossed  by  a  drawbridge  at  Ann  (now  North)  Street.  The 
channel  was  originally  extended  across  to  the  Charles  River,  making  an 
island  of  the  North  End. 

5  Hugh  Vans. 


with  him  upon  Tuesday.  I  went  to  Withered's  at 
twelve  o'clock,  and  from  thence  went  to  dine  with 
Captain  Wendall,  where  were  some  officers  that  had 
belonged  to  the  garrison  at  Canso,  and  had  been 
there  when  the  place  was  taken  by  the  French. 
They  were  brought  to  Boston  by  Captain  Mangeau 
in  the  flag  of  truce.  After  dinner  Captain  Man- 
geau himself  came  in,  who  spoke  such  broken  Eng- 
lish that  I  understood  his  French  much  better.  In 
the  afternoon  I  called  at  Mr.  Hooper's  and  agreed 
to  go  to  Cambridge  with  him  upon  Wednesday. 

Tuesday,  July  24th.  — 1  received  this  day  a  letter 
from  Dr.  Mofifatt  at  Newport,  Rhode  Island,  and 
answered  the  same  by  the  opportunity  of  Mr. 
Hughes,  who  went  there  this  day.  Dr.  Douglass 
paid  me  a  short  visit  in  the  morning,  and  at  twelve 
o'clock  I  went  to  Change,  where  I  saw  Mr.  Vans, 
who  carried  me  to  dine  with  him. 

Mr.  Vans  himself  and  his  whole  family  I  found 
to  be  great  admirers  of  the  New  Light  doctrines 
and  scheme.  His  wife  is  a  strenuous  Whitfieldian. 
The  word  carnal  was  much  used  in  our  table  talk, 
which  seems  to  be  a  favorite  word  of  the  fair  sex 
of  that  persuasion.  There  was  one  at  table  whom 
Mr.  Vans  called  brother,  who  spoke  very  little,  but 
had  the  most  solemn  puritanic  countenance  ever  I 
had  seen.  The  discourse  chiefly  turned  upon  re- 
ligion, but  the  strain  of  it  was  so  enthusiastic  that 
I  thought  fit  only  to  be  a  hearer. 

After  dinner  I  went  with  Mr.  V ans  to  an  auction 
of  books  in  King  street,  where  the  auctioneer,  a 
young  fellow,  was  very  witty  in  his  way.  "This 
book,"  says  he,  "gentlemen,  must  be  valuable.  Here 

136 


I)  ynfyn  o^iivf  ^  /2>txilui^>^j  ^vk.  -z^c^t*.  /LxW-  ttwnj 

n  /W  duu^xovJ^  ^fcylX^,  ^  ^^^^  j;-^ 

C^'-  ife/     iy^  o^v.&  yvc^  ^UL.r^/J^U'^^  ^ 

a  KtQ  ^  <hl&yrYC^  (/ ^n/^9&^K.  fet^^  ^v^/n-^,w_-. 


1%^^^,    "  fl^  ^  n^^^^  ff^^^t!^j  "^'^J^ 


.  L    nil  //  M'.  /2  ...  ./"//./7  c    ■        (,  .    .  . 


/         &<j^xJ-   ^^^^^  ^.w^ 


you  have  everything  concerning  popes,  cardinals, 
anti-christ,  and  the  devil.  Here,  gentlemen,  you 
have  Tacitus,  that  elegant  historian.  He  gives  you 
an  account  of  that  good  and  pious  person,  Nero, 
who  loved  his  mother  and  kindred  so  well  that  he 
sucked  their  very  blood."  The  books  that  sold  best 
at  this  auction,  while  I  was  there,  were  Pamela. 
Antipaniela,  The  Fortunate  Maid,  Ovid's  Art  of 
Love  and  The  Marrow  of  Modern  Divinity. 

We  were  called  to  the  windows  in  the  auction 
room  by  a  noise  in  the  street,  which  was  occasioned 
by  a  parade  of  Indian  chiefs  marching  up  the  street 
with  Colonel  Wendall.  The  fellows  had  all  laced 
hats,  and  some  of  them  laced  matchcoats  and  ruffled 
shirts,  and  a  multitude  of  the  plehs  of  their  own 
complexion  followed  them.  This  was  one  Hen- 
rique,^ and  some  other  of  the  chiefs  of  the  Mohooks, 
who  had  been  deputed  to  treat  with  the  eastern 
Indians  bordering  upon  New  England.  This  Hen- 
rique is  a  bold,  intrepid  fellow.  When  he  first  ar- 
rived at  the  place  of  rendezvous,  none  of  the  eastern 
chiefs  were  come.  However,  he  expressed  himself 
to  the  commons  to  this  purpose :  "We  the  Mohooks," 
said  he,  "are  your  fathers,  and  you  our  children. 
If  you  are  dutiful  and  obedient,  if  you  brighten  the 
chain  with  the  English  our  friends,  and  take  up  the 
hatchet  against  the  French  our  enemies,  we  will 
defend  and  protect  you,  but  otherwise  if  you  are 
disobedient  and  rebel  you  shall  die,  every  man, 
woman,  and  child  of  you,  and  that  by  our  hands. 
We  will  cut  you  off  from  the  earth,  as  an  ox  licketh 
up  the  grass."   To  this  some  of  the  Indians  made 

1  Hendrick,  well-known  chief  of  the  Mohawks,  died  1755  in  the  battle  of 
Lake  George. 


/ 


answer  that  what  he  said  was  just,  as  for  their 
parts  they  would  do  their  best  to  keep  their  end  of 
the  house  in  order ;  but  their  house  was  a  very  long 
house,  one  end  of  it  was  light  and  the  other  dark, 
because  having  no  doors  or  windows  the  sun  could 
not  shine  in  upon  them.  (By  the  dark  end  they 
meant  the  St.  John  and  Cape  Sable  Indians  of  the 
same  nation  with  them,  but  in  the  French  interest.) 
In  the  light  end  they  knew  what  they  were  a-doing, 
but  nobody  could  see  in  the  dark.  However,  they 
would  strike  a  light,  and  if  possible  discover  its 
most  secret  corners.  "It  is  true  you  are  our  fathers, 
and  our  lives  depend  upon  you.  We  will  always  be 
dutiful,  as  we  have  hitherto  been,  for  we  have 
cleared  a  road  all  the  way  to  Albany  betwixt  us  and 
you,  having  cut  away  every  tree  and  bush,  that 
there  might  be  no  obstruction.  You,  our  fathers, 
are  like  a  porcupine  full  of  prickles,  to  wound  such 
as  offend  you;  w^e,  your  children,  are  like  little 
babes,  whom  you  have  put  into  cradles  and  rocked 
asleep."  While  they  delivered  this  answer  they 
appeared  very  much  frightened,  and  in  the  mean- 
time one  Lewis,  an  eastern  chief,  came  upon  the 
field,  who  seemed  to  reprove  Henrique  for  deliver- 
ing his  embassy  to  the  common  people  while  none 
of  the  chiefs  were  by,  telling  him  it  was  like  speak- 
ing to  cattle;  but  Henrique  with  a  frown  told  him 
that  he  was  not  obliged  to  wait  his  conveniency  and 
time,  adding  that  what  was  said  was  said,  and  was 
not  again  to  be  repeated,  but  do  you  or  your  people 
at  your  peril  act  contrary  to  our  will.  At  that  the 
other  Indian  was  silent  and  durst  not  speak. 

These  Mohooks  are  a  terrour  to  all  round  them, 
and  are  certainly  a  brave,  warlike  people,  but  they 

138 


are  divided  into  two  nations,  Protestants  and 
Roman  Catholics,  for  the  most  of  them  are  Chris- 
tians ;  the  first  take  part  with  the  EngHsh,  the  latter 
with  the  French,  which  makes  the  neighbouring 
Indians,  their  tributaries,  lead  an  unquiet  life,  al- 
ways in  fear  and  terrour  and  an  uncertainty  how 
to  behave. 

I  went  this  night  to  visit  Mr.  Smibert,^  the 
limner,  where  I  saw  a  collection  of  fine  pictures, 
among  the  rest  that  part  of  Scipio's  history  in 
Spain  where  he  delivers  the  lady  to  the  prince  to 
whom  she  had  been  betrothed.  The  passions  are 
all  well  touched  in  the  several  faces.  Scipio's  face 
expresses  a  majestic  generosity,  that  of  the  young 
prince  gratitude  and  modest  love ;  and  some  Roman 
soldiers,  standing  under  a  row  of  pillars  apart,  in 
seeming  discourse,  have  admiration  delineated  in 
their  faces.  But  what  I  admired  most  of  the 
painter's  fancy  in  this  piece  is  an  image  or  phantom 
of  chastity  behind  the  solium  upon  which  Scipio  sits, 
standing  on  tiptoe  to  crown  him,  and  yet  appears 
as  if  she  could  not  reach  his  head,  which  expresses 
a  good  emblem  of  the  virtue  of  this  action.  I  saw 
here  likewise  a  collection  of  good  busts  and  statues, 
most  of  them  antiques,  done  in  clay  and  paste, 
among  the  rest  Homer's  head  and  a  model  of  the 
Venus  of  Medicis. 

Wednesday,  July  2§th. —  Ihad  appointed  this  day  to 
go  to  Cambridge  with  Mr.  Hooper,  but  the  weather 
proved  too  hot.  I  went  to  Change  at  twelve 
o'clock,  and  heard  no  news,  only  some  distant  hints 

1  John  Smibert,  a  well-known  artist ;  owned  and  occupied  premises  be- 
tween Brattle  Street  and  Cornhill. 


of  an  intended  expedition  of  the  English  against 
Cape  Breton,  which  is  a  great  eyesore  to  their  fish- 
ing trade  upon  this  coast. 

I  dined  with  Mr.  Hooper,  and  drank  tea  there, 
and  went  in  the  evening  to  the  auction,  but  found 
no  books  of  value  exposed  to  sale.  When  I  came 
to  my  lodging  at  night  Mrs.  Guneau  told  me  she 
had  got  a  new  lodger,  one  Monsieur  de  la  Moin- 
nerie,  a  Frenchman,  who  had  come  from  Jamaica. 
This  evening  was  very  hot,  bordering  upon  our 
Maryland  temperature,  and  being  out  of  order  I 
went  to  bed  before  nine. 

Thursday,  July  26th.— This  day  atWithered'sImet 
with  Dr.  Clerk,^  to  whom  I  delivered  a  letter.  He 
invited  me  to  the  Physical  Club  at  the  Sun  Tavern  ^ 
upon  Friday  evening.  I  promised  to  attend  there 
in  case  the  weather  should  prevent  my  journey  east- 
ward, which  I  intended  as  far  as  Portsmouth  or 
Pitscataquay.  I  dined  at  Withered's  with  some 
gentlemen.  While  we  were  at  dinner  there  came 
up  a  thunder  shower,  which  cooled  the  air  very 
much,  it  having  been  for  some  days  very  hot. 

After  dinner  one  Captain  Pasher  came  in,  who 
had  been  at  Canso  when  the  French  took  it.  He 
had  a  vessel  there  laden  with  provisions,  for  which 
he  had  contracted  with  the  French  before  the  war 
broke  out,  when  they  carried  him  to  Cape  Breton. 
They  were  so  generous  as  to  pay  him  for  his  cargo 
of  provisions  and  dismiss  him.  In  the  payment  it 
was  supposed  they  had  given  him  some  brandy  and 

1  Dr.  John  Clark,  the  third  of  a  succession  of  eight  Dr.  John  Clarks  in 
direct  descent. 

2  There  have  been  as  many  as  three  taverns  by  that  name  in  Boston. 
The  one  referred  to  here  seems  to  have  been  the  one  in  Dock  Square. 


140 


other  contraband  goods,  which  he  attempted  to  run 
here,  but  being  discovered  was  called  to  account  by 
the  government,  not  only  for  running  these  goods, 
but  for  supplying  the  enemy  with  provision.  As 
to  the  latter  accusation  he  was  acquitted,  because 
the  contract  or  bargain  with  the  French  had  been 
made  before  the  declaration  of  war,  and  as  he  was 
taken  prisoner  at  Canso,  it  was  in  the  power  of  the 
French  to  seize  his  vessel  and  cargo  without  paying 
him  for  them.  He  had  lost  likewise  considerably 
by  his  bills  being  protested  by  the  Board  of  Ad- 
miralty in  France.  He  told  me  his  losses  amounted 
to  above  20,000  pounds  New  England  currency. 

I  imagined  that  he  might  be  related  to  Mr.  P  r  * 

at  Annapolis,  because  I  had  known  but  few  of  that 
name.  I  asked  him  if  he  knew  that  gentleman. 
He  replied  that  he  had  never  seen  him,  but  he  be- 
lieved he  was  a  kinsman  of  his. 

I  went  in  the  afternoon  to  Mr.  Lechmere's,  and 
thence  to  Mr.  Fletcher's,^  a  young  gentleman,  son 
to  Captain  Fletcher  so  well  known  in  Annapolis. 
He  and  I  went  to  the  auction  together,  but  the  books 
sold  so  dear  that  I  could  not  procure  such  as  I 
wanted.  We  had  only  a  good  deal  of  auctioneer 
wit. 

I  supped  at  Fletcher's,  and  the  night  being  very 
dark  and  rainy,  I  had  much  ado  to  find  my  way 
home  to  my  lodging,  but  calling  in  accidentally  at 
Lechmere's  without  knowing  where  I  went,  he  was 
so  civil  as  to  send  a  boy  and  lanthorn  along  with 
me.  The  streets  of  this  town  are  very  quiet  and 
still  a-nights,  yet  there  is  a  constant  watch  kept  in 
the  town. 

Pasher.    2  Presumably  William  Fletcher. 


141 


Friday,  July  2yth.— This  day  proving  very  rainy 
I  was  prevented  in  my  intention  to  travel  east- 
ward. At  breakfast  with  Mrs.  Guneau,  Mons. 
de  la  Moinnerie  chattered  like  a  magpie  in  his 
own  language,  having  Mrs.  Guneau  to  talk  with, 
who  speaks  very  good  French.  Their  conversa- 
tion ran  upon  the  rate  of  the  markets  at  Boston, 
and  the  price  of  beef,  mutton,  and  other  pro- 
visions. I  dined  at  Withered's  and  in  the  after- 
noon went  to  the  auction,  where  I  bought  a  copy 
of  Clerk's  Homer  very  cheap.  At  night  I  went 
to  the  Physical  Club  at  the  Sun  Tavern,  ac- 
cording to  appointment,  where  we  drank  punch, 
smoaked  tobacco,  and  talked  of  sundry  physical 
matters. 

Douglass,  the  physician  here,  is  a  man  of  good 
learning,  but  mischievously  given  to  criticism,  and 
the  most  compleat  snarler  ever  I  knew.  He  is  loath 
to  allow  learning,  merit,  or  a  character  to  anybody. 
He  is  of  the  clinical  class  of  physicians,  and  laughs 
at  all  theory  and  practice  founded  upon  it,  looking 
upon  empiricism  or  bare  experience  as  the  only  firm 
basis  upon  which  practice  ought  to  be  founded.  He 
has  got  here  about  him  a  set  of  disciples,  who  greed- 
ily draw  in  his  doctrines,  and  being  but  half  learned 
themselves  have  not  wit  enough  to  discover  the 
foibles  and  mistakes  of  their  preceptor.  This  man 
I  esteem  a  notorious  physical  heretic,  capable  to 
corrupt  and  vitiate  the  practice  of  the  place  by 
spreading  his  erroneous  doctrines  among  his  shal- 
low brethren. 

This  night  we  heard  news  of  Morpang's  being 
upon  the  coast.  I  went  home  at  eleven  o'clock  at 
night,  and  prepared  for  my  journey  to-morrow. 


142 


Charlestown  Ferry 


Saturday,  July  28th. — I  departed  Boston  this  morn- 
ing betwixt  seven  and  eight  o'clock,  and  crossing 
the  upper  ferry,  I  came  to  Charlestown,  a  pretty 
large  and  compact  town,  consisting  of  one  street, 
about  half  a  mile  long. 

I  breakfasted  there  at  the  sign  of  the  Swan.  Our 
conversation  at  breakfast  ran  upon  the  extrava- 
gancies of  the  Newlightmen,  and  particularly  one 
Oilman,^  a  noted  preacher  among  them.  One  day 
this  fellow  being  in  his  pulpit,  he  exerted  himself 
to  the  utmost  to  move  the  passions  in  his  audience 
by  using  such  pathetic  expressions  as  his  dull, 
costive  fancy  could  frame.  "What!"  said  he,  "not 
shed  one  tear  for  poor  Christ,  who  shed  his  blood 
for  you;  not  one  tear.  Christians!  not  one  single 
tear!  Tears  for  blood  is  but  a  poor  recompense. 
O  fie !  fie !  this  is  but  cold  comfort."  At  that  an  old 
woman  bolted  up  in  pious  fury,  and  mounting  the 
pulpit  steps,  bestowed  such  a  load  of  close  hugs  and 
kisses  upon  the  preacher  that  she  stopped  his  mouth 
for  some  time,  and  had  almost  suffocated  him  with 
kindness. 

Mystic— Lynn 

Departing  Charlestown  I  passed  thro'  Mystic  at 
ten  o'clock,  a  pretty  large  village,  about  four  miles 
northeast  from  Boston.  A  little  after  twelve  I 
passed  thro'  Lynn,  another  village,  but  very  scat- 
tered, and  standing  upon  a  large  compass  of  ground, 
the  situation  very  open  and  pleasant.    Here  I  could 

1  Probably  Nicholas  Oilman,  of  Durham,  N.  H. 


have  a  view  of  the  sea  upon  my  right  hand,  and 
upon  my  left  a  large  open  hilly  and  rocky  country 
with  some  skirts  of  woods,  which  seemed  to  be  but 
low  and  of  a  small  growth. 


Marblehead 

At  one  o'clock  I  arrived  at  Marblehead,  a  large 
fishing  town,  lying  upon  the  sea  coast,  built  upon  a 
rock,  and  standing  pretty  bleak  to  the  easterly  winds 
from  the  sea.  It  lies  eighteen  miles  northeast  from 
Boston,  and  is  somewhat  larger  than  Albany,  but 
not  so  neatly  or  compactly  built,  the  houses  being 
all  of  wood  and  the  streets  very  uneven,  narrow,  and 
irregular.  It  contains  about  5,000  inhabitants  and 
their  commodity  is  fish.  There  is  round  the  town 
above  200  acres  of  land  covered  with  fish-flakes, 
upon  which  they  dry  their  cod.  There  are  ninety 
fishing  sloops  always  employed,  and  they  deal  for 
£34,000  sterling  prime  cost  value  in  fish  yearly, 
bringing  in  30,000  quintals,— a  quintal  being  one 
hundredweight  dried  fish,  which  is  3,000,000 
pounds'  weight,  a  great  quantity  of  that  commodity. 

I  put  up  here  at  one  Reid's  at  the  sign  of  the 
Dragon,  and  while  I  was  at  dinner,  Mr.  Malcolm,^ 
the  Church  of  England  minister  to  whom  I  was 
recommended,  came  in.  After  I  had  dined  he  car- 
ried me  round  the  town,  and  showed  me  the  fish- 
flakes  and  the  town  battery,^  which  is  built  upon  a 
rock,  naturally  well  fortified,  and  mounts  about 

1  Rev.  Alexander  Malcolm,  rector  of  St.  Michael's  Church,  Marblehead. 

2  Town  Battery,  now  known  as  Fort  Sewall, built  in  1742,  enlarged  during 
the  Revolutionary  War  ;  no  longer  used  as  a  fort,  the  guns  having  been 
removed  some  twenty  years  earlier. 


144 


^  f  LO.&cS-  ftl^   c^u^,  O^^^^^^  ^"^^y^  ^ 


.     Q    f^^^^^^     ^tA>l^  ti^xun^     lA.^^,4f^  H^JI^  Jt£i-^  Cir^oU-^  ftcXf 

P ji^J'-^'kcyyu    Cuv-€^  /Lv/t/*-*^  ^v-x^j^s  Cil^x^tLUJ  ^mfi£fyi^ 

T^Cy    eLctJL   pc-r    3^  ^><?<:^^r' 


twelve  large  guns.  We  had  a  great  deal  of  talk 
about  affairs  at  home.  I  went  to  his  house  and 
drank  tea  with  him.  He  showed  me  some  pretty- 
pieces  of  music,  and  played  some  tunes  on  the  flute 
and  violin.  He  is  author  of  a  very  good  book 
upon  music,  which  shows  his  judgment  and  know- 
ledge in  that  part  of  science. 

Sunday,  July  2pth.— This  morning,  inquiring  for 
my  portmanteau,  I  was  told  by  my  man  Dromo  that 
it  was  in  his  room.  I  had  the  curiosity  to  go  and 
see  what  kind  of  a  room  his  room  was,  and  upon  a 
reconnoitre  found  it  a  most  spacious  one,  furnished 
a  la  mode  de  cabaret,  with  tables,  chairs,  a  fine 
feather-bed  with  quilted  counterpane,  white  calico 
canopy  or  tester,  and  curtains,  every  way  adapted 
for  a  gentleman  of  his  degree  and  complexion. 

I  went  to  church  to  hear  Mr.  Malcolm  in  the 
forenoon,  who  gave  us  a  pretty  discourse.  This 
church  is  a  building  of  wood,  about  eighty  feet 
square,  supported  in  the  inside  with  eight  large 
octagonal  wooden  pillars  of  the  Doric  order.  Upon 
this  church  stands  a  steeple  in  which  there  is  a  pub- 
lic clock.  The  floor  of  the  church  is  raised  six  or 
seven  feet  above  the  ground,  and  under  it  is  a  bury- 
ing place.  The  pulpit  and  altar  are  neat  enough, 
the  first  being  set  out  with  a  cushion  of  red  velvet, 
and  the  other  painted  and  adorned  with  the  King's 
arms  at  top.  There  is  one  large  gallery  facing  the 
pulpit,  opposite  to  which  at  the  south  entry  of  the 
church  hangs  a  pretty  large  gilt  candle  branch. 
The  congregation  consisted  of  about  400  people. 
I  dined  with  Mr.  Malcolm,  and  went  to  church 
again  with  him  in  the  afternoon,  and  spent  the 


145 


evening  agreeably  in  his  company.  In  this  town 
are  likewise  two  great  Presbyterian  meetings. 

Salem 

Monday,  July  30th.— Mr.  Malcolm  and  I  set  out  at 
eleven  o'clock  in  the  morning  for  Salem,  which  is  a 
pretty  town  about  five  miles  from  Marblehead,  go- 
ing round  a  creek,  but  not  above  two  if  you  cross 
the  creek.  We  arrived  there  betwixt  twelve  and 
one  o'clock,  and  called  at  Justice  Sewell's,^  who  in- 
vited us  to  dine  with  him.  We  put  up  our  horses 
at  the  Ship  Tavern,^  and  went  to  Mr.  Sewell's. 

Our  conversation  ran  upon  the  enthusiasm  now 
prevalent  in  these  parts,  and  the  strange  madness 
that  had  possessed  some  people  at  Ipswitch,  occa- 
sioned by  one  Woodberry,^  a  mad  enthusiast,  who, 
pretending  to  inspiration,  uttered  several  blas- 
phemous and  absurd  speeches,  asserting  that  he  was 
the  same  to-day,  yesterday,  and  forever,  saying  he 
had  it  in  his  power  to  save  or  damn  whom  he 
pleased,  falling  down  upon  the  ground,  licking  the 
dust,  and  condemning  all  to  hell  who  would  not  do 
the  like,  drinking  healths  to  King  Jesus,  the  self- 
existing  Being,  and  prosperity  to  the  kingdom  of 
heaven,  and  a  thousand  other  such  mad  and  ridicu- 
lous frolics.  I  was  quite  shocked  at  these  rela- 
tions, both  when  I  heard  them  mentioned  in  conver- 

1  Stephen  Sewall,  then  judge  of  the  Supreme  Court  of  Massachusetts  ; 
later  Chief  Justice  of  that  court  from  1752  to  his  death  in  1760. 

2  Called  in  the  eighteenth  century  "The  great  tavern  with  many  peaks" 
situated  at  this  time  on  the  corner  of  Washington  and  Church  Streets. 

3  Perhaps  the  Nicolas  Woodbury  who  lived  at  Ipswich  in  1 744,  during  a 
great  controversy  over  the  reading  of  the  Scriptures  in  the  church  service 
and  the  use  of  notes  by  the  musicians. 


146 


sation,  and  saw  them  published  in  the  newspaper, 
being  surprised  that  some  of  the  chief  clergy  there 
had  been  so  weak  as  to  be  drawn  away  by  these 
follies.  This  is  a  remarkable  instance  to  what 
lengths  of  madness  enthusiasm  will  carry  men  once 
they  give  it  a  loose  [rein] ,  and  tho'  these  excursions 
may  appear  shocking  to  people  in  their  senses,  yet  so 
much  good  may  follow  them  as  that  the  interest  and 
influence  of  these  fanatic  preachers  will  be  thereby 
depressed  among  all  such  people  as  are  not  quite 
fools  or  mad.  These  extravagancies  take  all  their 
first  root  from  the  labours  of  that  righteous  apostle 
Whitefield,  who,  only  for  the  sake  of  private  lucre 
and  gain,  sowed  the  first  seeds  of  distraction  in 
these  unhappy  ignorant  parts. 

In  the  afternoon  Mr.  Malcolm  and  I  rid  to  the 
country-seat  of  one  Brown,^  a  gentleman  who  mar- 
ried a  daughter  of  the  late  Governour  Burnet's,^  a 
grand-daughter  of  the  bishop's.  His  house  stands 
upon  the  top  of  a  high  hill,  and  is  not  yet  quite 
finished.  It  is  built  in  the  form  of  an  H,  with  a 
middle  body  and  two  wings.  The  porch  is  sup- 
ported by  pillars  of  the  Ionic  order  about  fifteen  feet 
high,  and  betwixt  the  windows  of  the  front  are 
pilasters  of  the  same.  The  great  hall  or  parlour 
is  about  forty  feet  long  and  twenty-five  wide,  with 
a  gallery  over  the  first  row  of  windows,  and  there 

1  William  Browne;  married  Miss  Burnet  of  Virginia  in  1737;  in  1740 
built  the  country  house  described  by  Hamilton  six  miles  north  of  Salem  in 
the  present  town  of  Danvers,  on  a  hill  called  Long  Hill,  Leach  Hill,  or 
Folly  Hill. 

"A  sunken  cellar  now  is  all, 
Memorial  of  a  stately  Hall." 

2  William  Burnet,  born  in  Holland,  1688;  Governor  of  New  York  and 
New  Jersey,  1 720-1728;  Governor  of  Massachusetts  and  New  Hampshire, 
1728  to  his  death  in  1729. 


are  two  large  rooms  upon  a  floor  in  each  of  the 
wings  about  twenty-five  feet  square. 

From  this  hill  you  have  a  most  extensive  view. 
To  the  southwest  you  see  the  Blue  Hills,  about 
thirty-six  miles'  distance;  to  the  east  the  sea  and 
several  islands;  to  the  northwest  the  top  of  a 
mountain  called  Wachusett  Mountain,  like  a  cloud, 
about  ninety  miles'  distance,  towards  Albany;  and 
all  round  you  have  a  fine  landscape,  covered  with 
woods,  a  mixture  of  hills  and  valleys,  land  and 
water,  upon  which  variety  the  eye  dwells  with 
pleasure.  This  hill  Mr.  Brown  calls  Mount  Bur- 
net in  compliment  to  his  wife. 

In  the  hall  I  saw  a  piece  of  tapestry  or  arras  of 
scripture  history,  done  by  Vanderbank,  a  Dutch 
artist.  For  elegance  and  design  it  is  like  painting, 
the  passions  in  the  faces  being  well  expressed.  It 
is  the  best  of  the  kind  ever  I  saw. 

This  gentleman  has  a  fine  estate,  but  withal  has 
the  character  of  being  narrow  and  avaricious,  a 
vice  uncommon  to  young  men.  He  has  a  strange 
taste  for  theological  controversy.  While  we  were 
there  the  conversation  turned  chiefly  upon  nice 
metaphysical  distinctions  relating  to  original  sin, 
imputed  righteousness,  reprobation,  eflfectual  call- 
ing, and  absolute  decrees,  which  stuff— as  I  es- 
teem it  to  be  no  more  than  the  monstruous  and  de- 
formed offspring  of  scholastic,  theological  heads — 
I  should  choose  to  hear  at  no  other  times  but  when 
I  took  a  cathartic  or  emetic,  in  order  to  promote  the 
operation  if  it  proved  too  sluggish. 

Mr.  Malcolm  and  I  returned  to  Salem  a  little 
before  eight  o'clock,  and  went  to  the  Ship  Tavern, 
where  we  drank  punch  and  smoaked  tobacco  with 


148 


several  colonels;  for  colonels,  captains,  and  majors 
are  so  plenty  here  that  they  are  to  be  met  with  in 
all  companies,  and  yet  methinks  they  look  no  more 
like  soldiers  than  they  look  like  divines;  but  they 
are  gentlemen  of  the  place,  and  that  is  sufficient. 

We  v^ent  to  Mr.  Sewell's  lodging  betvi^ixt  nine 
and  ten  at  night,  and  after  some  chat  with  him  went 
to  bed. 

The  town  of  Salem  is  a  pretty  place,  being  the 
first  settled  place  in  New  England.  In  it  there  is 
one  Church  of  England,  one  Quaker  meeting,  and 
five  Presbyterian  meetings.  It  consists  of  one  very 
long  street,  running  nearly  east  and  west.  Upon  the 
watch-house,  is  a  grenadier,  carved  in  wood,  shoul- 
dering his  piece. 

Salem  Ferry— Ipswitch 

Tuesday,  July  ^ist.— At  eleven  o'clock  this  morning 
Mr.  Malcolm  accompanied  me  to  Salem  Ferry, 
where  I  crossed,  and  rid  a  pleasant  level  road  all 
the  way  to  Ipswitch,  where  the  houses  are  so  thick 
planted  that  it  looks  like  one  continued  village.  I 
put  up  at  one  Howel's  in  Ipswitch,  at  the  sign  of 
the  Armed  Knight.  I  waited  upon  Mr.  John  Rog- 
ers,^ the  minister  there,  and  delivered  him  a  packet 
of  letters  from  his  son  at  Annapolis. 

I  returned  again  to  the  tavern  and  there  met  a 
talkative  old  fellow,  who  was  very  inquisitive  about 
my  place  of  abode  and  occupation,  as  he  called  it. 
He  frequently  accosted  me  with  please  your  honour, 
with  which  grand  title,  like  some  fools  whom  I 

1  Rev.  John  Rogers,  son  of  President  Rogers  of  Harvard  College  ;  died 
1745- 


149 


know,  I  seemed  highly  pleased,  tho'  I  was  conscious 
it  did  not  belong  to  me.  When  I  told  him  I  came 
from  Maryland  he  said  he  had  frequently  read  of 
that  place,  but  never  had  seen  it.  This  old  fellow, 
by  his  own  account,  had  read  of  everything,  but  had 
seen  nothing.  He  affected  being  a  scholar,  or  a 
man  much  given  to  reading  or  study,  and  used  a 
great  many  hard  words  in  discourse,  which  he  gen- 
erally misapplied. 

There  was  likewise  a  young  man  in  company, 
who  rid  with  me  some  miles  on  my  way  to  New- 
berry. He  valued  himself  much  upon  the  goodness 
of  his  horse,  and  said  that  he  was  a  prime  beast  as 
ever  went  upon  four  legs  or  wore  hoofs.  He  told 
me  he  had  a  curiosity  to  ride  to  Maryland,  but  was 
afraid  of  the  terrible  woods  in  the  way,  and  asked 
me  if  there  were  not  a  great  many  dangerous  wild 
beasts  in  these  woods.  I  told  him  that  the  most 
dangerous  wild  beasts  in  these  woods  were  shaped 
exactly  like  men,  and  they  went  by  the  name  of 
Buckskins,  or  Bucks,  tho'  they  were  not  Bucks 
either,  but  something,  as  it  were,  betwixt  a  man  and 
a  beast.  "Bless  us!  you  don't  say  so,"  says  he; 
"then  surely  you  had  needs  ride  with  guns"  (mean- 
ing my  pistols).    I  parted  with  this  wiseacre. 

When  I  had  got  about  half  way  to  Newberry,  a 
little  farther  I  met  a  fat  sheep  driving  in  a  chaise, 
a  negro  sitting  upon  the  box.  I  asked  the  negro 
if  that  was  his  master.  He  told  me  no,  but  that  it 
w^as  a  wether  belonging  to  Mr.  Jones,  who  had 
strayed  and  would  not  come  home  without  being 
carried.  Passing  by  this  prodig)'  I  met  another, 
which  was  two  great  fat  women  riding  upon  one 
horse. 

150 


Newbury 


I  ARRIVED  at  Newbury  at  seven  o'clock,  and  put  up 
at  one  Choat's  at  the  sign  of  the  Crown,  which  is  a 
good  house.  Newbury  is  a  pretty  large  village, 
lying  close  upon  the  water;  the  houses  are  chiefly 
wood.  In  this  town  there  is  one  handsome  meet- 
ing built  in  a  square  form,  with  a  spire  or  steeple 
upon  which  is  a  little  neat  publick  clock. 

Newbury  Ferry— Hampton 

Wednesday,  August  J^^. — This  morning  proved  very 
rainy,  and  therefore  I  did  not  set  out  till  eleven 
o'clock.  I  crossed  Newbury  Ferry,  and  rid  a  pleas- 
ant even  road,  only  somewhat  stony,  and  in  a  per- 
petual drizzle,  so  that  I  could  not  have  an  advan- 
tageous view  of  the  country  round  me.  At  half  an 
hour  after  one  I  passed  thro'  Hampton,  a  very  long, 
scattered  town. 

Having  proceeded  some  miles  farther,  I  was  over- 
taken by  a  man  who  bore  me  company  all  the  way 
to  Portsmouth.  He  was  very  inquisitive  about 
where  I  was  going,  whence  I  came,  and  who  I  was. 
His  questions  were  all  stated  in  the  rustic  civil  style. 
"Pray,  sir,  if  I  may  be  so  bold,  where  are  you  go- 
ing?" "Prithee,  friend,"  says  I,  "where  are  you 
going?"  "Why,  I  go  along  the  road  here  a  little 
way."  "So  do  I,  friend,"  replied  I.  "But  may  I 
presume,  sir,  whence  do  you  come?"  "And  from 
whence  do  you  come,  friend?"  says  I,  "pardon  me." 
"From  John  Singleton's  farm,"  replied  he,  "with  a 
bag  of  oats."    "And  I  come  from  Maryland,"  said 

151 


I,  "with  a  portmanteau  and  baggage."  "Mary- 
land!" said  my  companion,  "where  the  devil  is  that 
there  place?  I  have  never  heard  of  it.  But  pray, 
sir,  may  I  be  so  free  as  to  ask  your  name?"  "And 
may  I  be  so  bold  as  to  ask  yours,  friend?"  said  I. 
"Mine  is  Jerry  Jacobs,  at  your  service,"  replied  he. 
I  told  him  that  mine  was  Bombast  Huynhym  van 
Helmont,  at  his  service.  "A  strange  name  indeed ; 
belike  you  're  a  Dutchman,  sir, — a  captain  of  a 
ship,  belike."  "No,  friend,"  says  I,  "I  am  a  High 
German  alchymist."  "Bless  us!  you  don't  say  so; 
that 's  a  trade  I  never  heard  of ;  what  may  you  deal 
in,  sir?"  "I  sell  air,"  said  I.  "Air,"  said  he, 
"damn  it,  a  strange  commodity.  I  'd  thank  you 
for  some  wholesome  air  to  cure  my  fevers,  which 
have  held  me  these  two  months."  I  have  noted 
down  this  dialogue  as  a  specimen  of  many  of  the 
same  tenour  I  had  in  my  journey  when  I  met  with 
these  inquisitive  rustics. 


New  Hampshire  Government 

Having  now  entered  New  Hampshire  Government 
I  stopped  at  a  house  within  five  miles  of  Portsmouth 
to  bait  my  horses,  where  I  had  some  billingsgate 
with  a  saucy  fellow  that  made  free  in  handling  my 
pistols.  I  found  a  set  of  low  rascally  company  in 
the  house,  and  for  that  reason  took  no  notice  of 
what  the  fellow  said  to  me,  not  being  overfond  of 
quarrelling  with  such  trash.  I  therefore  mounted 
horse  again  at  half  an  hour  after  three,  and  having 
rid  about  two  miles  saw  a  steeple  in  a  skirt  of  woods, 
which  I  imagined  was  Portsmouth ;  but  when  I  came 

152 


up  to  it,  found  it  was  a  decayed  wooden  meeting- 
house, standing  in  a  small  hamlet  within  two  miles 
of  Portsmouth/ 

Portsmouth 

In  this  part  of  the  country  one  would  think  there 
were  a  great  many  towns  by  the  number  of  steeples 
you  see  round  you,  every  country  meeting  having 
one,  which  by  reason  of  their  slenderness  and  taper- 
ing form  appear  at  a  distance  pretty  high.  I  ar- 
rived in  Portsmouth  at  four  in  the  afternoon,  which 
is  a  seaport  town  very  pleasantly  situated  close  upon 
the  water,  and  nearly  as  large  as  Marblehead.  It 
contains  betwixt  four  and  five  thousand  inhabitants. 
There  are  in  it  two  Presbyterian  meetings  and  one 
Church  of  England,  of  which  last  one  Brown,^  an 
Irishman,  is  minister,  to  whom  I  had  a  letter  rec- 
ommendatory from  Mr.  Malcolm.  I  put  up  here 
at  Slater's,  a  widow  woman,  who  keeps  a  very  good 
house  and  convenient  lodging.  After  I  had  dined, 
I  waited  upon  Mr.  Brown  and  he  invited  me  to 
breakfast  with  him  to-morrow.  I  returned  to  my 
lodging  at  eight  o'clock,  and  the  post  being  ar- 
rived, I  found  a  numerous  company  at  Slater's  read- 
ing the  news.  Their  chit-chat  and  noise  kept  me 
awake  three  hours  after  I  went  to  bed. 

Thursday,  August  2d.—l  went  and  breakfasted  with 
Mr.  Brown,  and  after  breakfast  we  waited  upon 
Governour  Wentworth,^  who  received  me  very  civ- 

iThis  must  have  been  Portsmouth  Plains,  and  the  tavern  above  men- 
tioned was  in  Greenland. 

2  Rev.  Arthur  Brown,  an  Irish  Anglican. 

3  Benning  Wentworth,  born  1696,  graduate  of  Harvard,  1715  ;  Governor 
of  New  Hampshire,  1741-1767;  died  1770.  The  house,  situated  near 
Portsmouth,  still  stands. 


153 


illy,  and  invited  me  to  take  a  soldier's  dinner  with 
him,  as  he  called  it,  at  the  fort. 


Newcastle— KiTTERicK 

At  ten  o'clock  we  went  by  water  in  the  Gk)vernour's 
barge  to  Newcastle,  a  small  town,  two  miles  from 
Portsmouth,  where  the  fort^  stands  upon  a  little 
island  opposite  to  Newcastle.  Upon  the  other  side 
of  the  water,  there  is  a  village  called  Kitterick.^  The 
tide  in  these  narrows  runs  with  great  rapidity  and 
violence,  and  we  having  it  in  our  favour  and  six 
oars  in  the  barge,  were  down  at  the  fort  in  about 
ten  minutes.  This  fort  is  almost  a  triangle,  stand- 
ing on  a  rock  facing  the  bay.  That  side  next  the 
town  is  about  200  feet  long,  built  of  stone,  having 
a  small  bastion  at  each  end.  The  other  two  sides 
next  the  water  are  each  about  300  feet  long,  and 
consist  of  turf  ramparts,  erected  upon  a  stone  foun- 
dation, about  seven  feet  high  and  ten  feet  thick,  so 
that  the  largest  bullets  may  lodge  in  it.  This  fort 
mounts  about  thirty  guns,  most  of  them  thirty-two 
pounders,  besides  fifteen  or  twenty  small  ones  or 
twelve-pounders.  In  the  guard-room,  where  we 
dined,  are  small  arms  for  about  sixty  men,  but  kept 
in  very  bad  order,  being  eat  up  with  rust. 

After  dinner,  the  sky  turning  clear,  we  took  a 
view  to  the  eastward  towards  the  ocean,  and  could 
see  several  islands  and  Cape  Anne,  at  a  distance 
like  a  cloud,  with  about  twenty-four  sail  of  small 
coasting  vessels. 

1  Formerly  called  Fort  William  and  Mary  ;  now  called  Fort  Constitution. 

2  Now  Kittery. 


I 


GOVERNOR  WENTWORTH'S  HOME 


aMOH  8'HT«OWTMaW  flOMflSVOO 


York 


Mr.  Brown  and  I  crossed  the  water  at  three  o'clock, 
and  rid  nine  miles  up  the  country  to  a  place  called 
York.  In  our  way  we  had  a  variety  of  agreeable 
prospects  of  a  rocky  and  woody  country  and  the 
ocean  upon  our  right  hand.  We  returned  to  the 
fort  again  a  little  after  seven  o'clock. 

This  Province  of  New  Hampshire  is  very  well 
peopled,  and  is  a  small  colony  or  government,  being 
enclosed  on  all  hands  by  the  Massachusetts  Prov- 
ince, to  which  it  once  belonged,  but  has  lately,  for 
some  state  reasons,  been  made  a  separate  govern- 
ment from  New  England. 

The  provinces  here  are  divided  into  townships  in- 
stead of  shires  or  counties.  The  trade  of  this  place 
is  fish  and  masting  for  ships,  the  navy  at  home  be- 
ing supplied  from  here  with  very  good  masts. 

I  observed  a  good  many  geese  in  the  fort.  The 
Governour  took  notice  that  they  were  good  to  give 
an  alarm  in  case  of  a  nocturnal  surprise,  mentioning 
the  known  story  of  the  Roman  Capitol.  We  rowed 
back  to  town  against  the  tide,  betwixt  eight  and 
nine  at  night.  I  took  my  leave  of  Governour  Went- 
worth  at  nine  o'clock  at  night  and  went  to  my  lodg- 
ing. 

Hampton 

Friday  J  August  3d.— I  departed  Portsmouth  at  half 
an  hour  after  five  in  the  morning,  and  had  a  pleas- 
ant route  to  Hampton.^    This  town  is  about  seven 

1  Hampton  then  included  the  present  North  Hampton,  Hampton  Falls, 
and  Seabrook.  The  "Plain"  is  the  large  Salt  Meadow,  seven  miles  long 
and  two  broad  at  the  widest. 


or  eight  miles  long,  but  so  disjoined  that  some  of 
the  houses  are  half  a  mile's  distance  one  from  an- 
other. About  the  middle  of  it  is  a  pretty  large 
plain,  about  half  a  mile  broad  and  four  or  five  miles 
long,  which  is  marshy  and  overgrown  with  salt- 
water hay.  On  my  left  hand  here  I  could  see  the 
sea  and  Cape  Anne,  where  the  plain  opened. 

I  breakfasted  at  one  Griffin's  at  Hampton.  I  had 
some  discourse  with  the  landlord,  who  seemed  to 
be  very  fond  of  speculative  points  of  religion,  and 
was  for  spiritualizing  of  everything. 


Newbury  Ferry 

Near  Newbury  Ferry  ^  I  met  an  old  man,  who  was 
very  inquisitive  about  news.  He  rid  above  a  mile 
with  me.  I  crossed  the  ferry  at  twelve  o'clock,  and 
dined  at  Cheat's  with  two  Boston  gentlemen,  and 
after  dinner  they  would  have  had  me  go  to  the 
Presbyterian  meeting  to  hear  a  sermon,  but  I  de- 
clined it,  and  getting  upon  horseback  departed 
Newbury  at  three  in  the  afternoon,  the  day  being 
pretty  hot. 

Some  miles  from  this  town  I  passed  thro'  a  pleas- 
ant small  plain  about  a  quarter  of  a  mile  broad, 
thro'  the  middle  of  which  runs  a  pretty  winding 
river.  On  the  way  I  met  a  young  sailor  on  foot 
who  kept  pace  with  my  horse,  and  he  told  me  he 
was  bound  for  Salem  that  night.  He  entertained 
me  with  his  adventures  and  voyages,  and  dealt 
much  in  the  miraculous,  according  to  the  custom 
of  most  travellers  and  sailors. 

1  Present  Newburyport. 


Ipswitch 


I  ARRIVED  at  Ipswitch  at  six  o'clock  and  put  up  at 
Howell's.  I  went  to  see  Mr.  Rogers,  the  minister 
there,  and  at  night  drank  punch  with  his  son,  the 
doctor. 


Salem  Ferry 

Saturday,  August  4th.— I  left  Ipswich  early  in  the 
morning,  and  had  a  solitary  ride  to  Salem.  I  put 
up  my  horses  there  at  the  Ship  Tavern  and  called  at 
Messrs.  Sewell's  and  Brown's,  but  they  were  both 
gone  out  of  town. 

At  Salem  there  is  a  fort  ^  with  two  demi-bastions, 
but  they  stand  less  in  need  of  it  than  any  of  the 
other  maritime  towns  here,  for  the  entry  to  this 
harbour  is  so  difficult  and  rocky  that  even  those  who 
have  been  for  years  used  to  the  place  will  not  ven- 
ture in  without  a  good  pilot,  so  that  it  would  be  a 
hard  task  for  an  enemy  to  enter.  Portsmouth  har- 
bour is  easy  enough,  but  the  current  of  the  tides 
there  is  so  violent  that  there  is  no  getting  in  or  out 
but  at  particular  seasons,  and,  besides,  they  are 
locked  in  on  all  hands  by  islands  and  promontories. 
At  Marblehead  the  entry  is  very  easy  and  open. 

At  twelve  o'clock  I  thought  of  going  to  Marblehead 
again  to  pay  another  visit  to  Mr.  Malcolm,  whose 
company  and  conversation  had  much  pleased  me, 
but  meeting  here  with  a  gentleman  going  to  Boston, 

1  The  first  fort  in  Salem  was  built  near  Washington  Street ;  second  fort 
built  in  1643  on  Winter  Island,  afterwards  called  Fort  William;  I7i4the 
fort  was  equipped  with  twenty  guns  ;  in  1742  breastworks  and  a  platform 
for  sixteen  guns  were  erected  on  the  Eastern  High  Hill. 


I  took  the  opportunity,  for  the  sake  of  company,  to 
go  along  with  him. 


Lower  Ferry 

We  rid  hard  to  the  lower  ferry,  having  made  fifteen 
miles  in  two  hours.  We  had  a  tolerably  good  pas- 
sage over  the  ferry,  which  here  is  two  miles  broad. 
I  left  my  horses  at  Barker's  stables,  and  drank  tea 
with  my  landlady,  Mrs.  Guneau. 


Boston 

There  was  in  the  company  a  pretty  young  lady. 
The  character  of  a  certain  Church  of  England 
clergyman  in  Boston  was  canvassed,  he  having  lost 
his  living  for  being  too  sweet  upon  his  landlady's 
daughter,  a  great  belly  being  the  consequence.  I 
pitied  him  only  for  his  imprudence  and  want  of 
policy.  As  for  the  crime,  considered  in  a  certain 
light,  it  is  but  a  peccadillo,  and  he  might  have 
escaped  unobserved,  had  he  had  the  same  cunning 
as  some  others  of  his  brethren  who  doubtless  are  as 
deep  in  the  dirt  as  he  in  the  mire.  I  shall  not  men- 
tion the  unfortunate  man's  name  (absit  foeda  ca- 
lumnia),  but  I  much  commiserated  his  calamity  and 
regretted  the  loss,  for  he  was  an  excellent  preacher ; 
but  the  wisest  men  have  been  led  into  silly  scrapes 
by  the  attractions  of  that  vain  sex. 

I  had  the  opportunity  this  night  of  seeing  Mons. 
la  Moinnerie,  my  fellow  lodger.  He  was  obliged 
to  keep  the  house  close,  for  fear  of  being  made  a 

158 


prisoner  of  war.  He  was  the  strangest  mortal  for 
eating  ever  I  knew.  He  would  not  eat  with  the 
family,  but  always  in  his  own  chamber,  and  he 
made  a  table  of  his  trunk.  He  was  always  a-chew- 
ing,  except  some  little  intervals  of  time  in  which  he 
applied  to  the  study  of  the  English  language. 

Sunday,  August  ^th.—l  went  this  morning  into 
monsieur's  chamber  and  asked  him  how  he  did.  He 
made  answer  in  French,  but  asked  me  in  maimed 
English  if  I  had  made  un  bon  voyage,  what  news, 
and  many  other  little  questions  culled  out  of  his 
grammar,  I  was  shy  of  letting  him  know  I  under- 
stood French,  being  loath  to  speak  that  language,  as 
knowing  my  faultiness  in  the  pronunciation.  He 
told  me  that  hier  au  soir  he  had  de  mos'  excellen' 
souper,  and  wished  I  had  been  to  eat  along  with 
him.  His  chamber  was  strangely  set  out:  here  a 
basin  with  the  relicks  of  some  soup,  there  a  frag- 
ment of  bread;  here  a  paper  of  salt,  there  a  bundle 
of  garlic ;  here  a  spoon  with  some  pepper  in  it,  and 
upon  a  chair  a  saucer  of  butter.  The  same  individ- 
ual basin  served  him  to  eat  his  soup  out  of  and  to 
shave  in,  and  in  the  water  where  a  little  before  he 
had  washed  his  hands  and  face,  he  washed  likewise 
his  cabbages.  This,  too,  served  him  for  a  punch- 
bowl. He  was  fond  of  giving  directions  how  to 
dress  his  victuals,  and  told  Nanny,  the  cook  maid, 
"Ma  foi,  I  be  de  good  cock,  Madame  Nannie,"  said 
he.  The  maid  put  on  an  air  of  modest  anger,  and 
said  she  did  not  understand  him.  "Why,  here  you 
see,"  says  he,  "my  cock  be  good,  can  dress  de  fine 
viandes." 

This  morning  I  went  and  heard  Mr.  Hooper,  and 


159 


dined  with  Mr.  Grey.  I  went  to  meeting  again  in 
the  afternoon.  He  (Mr.  Hooper)  is  one  of  the 
best  preachers  I  have  heard  in  America,  his  dis- 
courses being  soHd  sense,  strong  connected  reason- 
ing, and  good  language.  I  drank  tea  with  Mrs. 
Guneau  in  the  afternoon,  and  staid  at  home  this 
night,  reading  a  httle  of  Homer's  first  Ihad. 

Monday,  August  6th.— 1  was  visited  this  morning 
by  Mons.  de  la  Moinnerie,  who  spoke  bad  English, 
and  I  indifferent  French;  so  we  had  recourse  to 
Latin,  and  did  somewhat  better.  He  gave  me  an 
account  of  his  own  country,  their  manners  and 
government,  and  a  detail  of  his  own  adventures 
since  he  came  abroad.  He  told  me  that  he  had 
studied  the  law,  and  showed  me  a  diploma  granted 
him  by  the  University  of  Paris.  He  had  practised 
as  a  chamber  counsel  in  Jamaica  for  two  months, 
and  was  coming  into  pretty  business,  but  intermed- 
dling in  some  political  matters  procured  the  ill-will 
of  the  grandees  there,  and  being  obliged  to  go  away, 
took  to  merchandizing;  but  his  vessel  being  cast 
away  at  sea,  he  took  passage  for  Boston  in  a  sloop, 
before  the  French  war  was  declared,  intending  to 
go  from  thence  to  old  France. 

I  dined  this  day  at  Withered's,  and  spent  the 
evening  with  Dr.  Clerk,  a  gentleman  of  a  fine  natu- 
ral genius,  who,  had  his  education  been  equivalent, 
would  have  outshone  all  the  other  physicians  in 

Boston.  Dr.  D  ^  was  there  and  Mr.  Lightf oot, 

and  another  gentleman,  a  lawyer,  a  professed  con- 
noisseur. 

Dr.  D  talked  very  slightingly  of  Boerhaave, 

1  Dr.  William  Douglass. 

i6o 


and  upon  all  occasions  I  find  sets  himself  up  as  an 
enemy  to  his  plan  of  theory,  and  laughs  at  all  prac- 
tice founded  upon  it.  He  called  him  a  mere  helluo 
lihrorum,  an  indefatigable  compiler,  that  dealt  more 
in  books  than  in  observation  or  avroxfjia.  I  asked 
his  pardon  and  told  him  that  I  thought  he  was  by 
far  the  greatest  genius  that  ever  appeared  in  that 
way  since  the  days  of  Hippocrates.  He  said  his 
character  was  quite  eclipsed  in  England.  "Pardon 
me,  sir,"  said  I,  "you  are  mistaken.  Many  of  the 
English  physicians  who  have  studied  and  under- 
stand his  system  admire  him.  Such  as  have  not, 
indeed,  never  understood  him,  and  in  England  they 
have  not  as  yet  taught  from  his  books ;  but  till  once 
they  embrace  his  doctrines  they  will  always,  like 
the  French,  be  lagging  behind  a  century  or  two  in 
the  improvements  of  physick." 

I  could  not  learn  his  reasons  for  so  vilifying  this 
great  man,  and  most  of  the  physicians  here  (the 
young  ones  I  mean)  seem  to  be  awkward  imitators 
of  him  in  this  railing  faculty.  They  are  all  mighty 
nice  and  mighty  hard  to  please,  and  yet  are  mighty 

raw  and  uninstructed  (excepting  D   himself 

and  Clerk)  in  even  the  very  elements  of  physick. 
I  must  say  it  raised  my  spleen  to  hear  the  character 
of  such  a  man  as  Boerhaave  picked  at  by  a  parcel 
of  pigmies,  mere  homuncios  in  physick,  who  shine 
nowhere  but  in  the  dark  corner  allotted  them,  like  a 
lamp  in  a  monk's  cell,  obscure  and  unknown  to  all  the 
world  excepting  only  their  silly  hearers  and  imita- 
tors, while  the  splendour  of  the  great  character 
which  they  pretend  to  canvass  eclipses  all  their 
smaller  lights  like  the  sun  enlightens  all  equally,  is 
ever  admired  when  looked  upon,  and  is  known  by 

i6i 


every  one  who  has  any  regard  for  learning  or  truth. 
So  that  all  their  censure  was  like  the  fable  of  the 
dog  barking  at  the  moon.    I  found,  however,  that 

Dr.  D  had  been  a  disciple  of  Pitcairn's,  and  as 

some  warm  disputes  had  subsisted  betwixt  Pitcairn 
and  Boerhaave,  at  his  leaving  the  professional  chair 
of  Leyden,  when  turned  out  by  the  interest  of  King 
William  (for  Pitcairn  was  a  strenuous  Jacobite) 
he  bore  Boerhaave  a  mortal  grudge  afterwards, 
and  endeavoured  all  he  could  to  lessen  his  interest 
and  diminish  his  character.  I  left  the  company  at 
eleven  o'clock  and  went  home. 

Tuesday,  August  ^th. — I  was  visited  this  morning 
by  Monsieur,  .  .  . 

I  dined  at  Withered's  and  called  at  Mr,  Hooper's 
after  dinner  to  know  when  he  intended  to  go  for 
Cambridge;  we  agreed  upon  to-morrow  afternoon. 
Coming  home  again  I  had  the  other  volley  of  French 
from  Monsieur,  accompanied  with  a  deal  of  action. 

At  night  I  went  to  the  Scots'  Quarterly  Society, 
which  met  at  the  Sun  Tavern.  This  is  a  charitable 
society,  and  act  for  the  relief  of  the  poor  of  their 
nation,  having  a  considerable  sum  of  money  at  in- 
terest, which  they  give  out  in  small  pensions  to 
needy  people.  I  contributed  for  that  purpose  three 
pounds,  New  England  currency,  and  was  presented 
with  a  copy  of  their  laws. 

When  the  bulk  of  the  company  were  gone  I  sat 
some  time  with  Dr.  Douglass,  the  president,  and 
two  or  three  others,  and  had  some  chat  on  news 
and  politicks.  At  half  an  hour  after  ten,  I  went 
home  and  had  some  more  French  from  Monsieur, 
who  was  applying  strenuously  to  learn  English, 

162 


Wednesday,  August  8th.— This  proving  a  very  rainy 
day,  I  was  frustrated  in  my  design  of  going  to  Cam- 
bridge, and  was  obliged  to  stay  at  home  most  of 
the  day.  I  had  several  dialogues  with  La  Moin- 
nerie  relating  to  the  English  language.  Mr.  Hughes 
and  I  eat  some  of  his  soup.  By  way  of  whet  he 
made  us  some  punch,  and  rinsing  the  bowl  with 
water  tossed  it  out  upon  the  floor  without  any  cere- 
mony. The  French  are  generally  the  reverse  of 
the  Dutch  in  this  respect.  They  care  not  how  dirty 
their  chambers  and  houses  are,  but  affect  neatness 
much  in  their  dress  when  they  appear  abroad.  I 
cannot  say  cleanliness,  for  they  are  dirty  in  their 
linen  wear.  Mr,  Hughes  and  I  dined  with  Mrs. 
Guneau,  and  went  to  Withered's.  After  dinner  we 
walked  out  upon  the  Long  Wharf.  The  rain  still 
continuing,  I  went  home  at  four  o'clock,  and  stayed 
at  home  all  that  evening. 

Thursday,  August  pth.—l  went  with  Mr.  Hughes 
before  dinner  to  see  my  countrywoman  Mrs.  Black- 
ater  (here  Blackadore,  for  our  Scots  names  gener- 
ally degenerate  when  transplanted  to  England,  or 
English  America,  losing  their  proper  orthography 
and  pronunciation).  She  is  a  jolly  woman,  with 
a  great  round  red  face.  I  bought  of  her  a  pound  of 
chocolate,  and  saw  one  of  her  daughters,  a  pretty 
buxom  girl,  in  a  gay  tawdry  deshabille,  having  on 
a  robe  de  chambre  of  cherry-coloured  silk,  laced  with 
silver  round  the  sleeves  and  skirts,  and  neither  hoop 
nor  stays.  By  this  girl's  physiognomy,  I  judged 
she  was  one  of  that  illustrious  class  of  the  sex  com- 
monly called  coquettes.  She  seemed  very  hand- 
some in  every  respect,  and  indeed  needed  neither 

163 


stays  nor  hoop  to  set  out  her  shapes,  which  were 
naturally  elegant  and  good ;  but  she  had  a  vile  cross 
in  her  eyes,  which  spoilt  in  some  measure  the  beauty 
and  symmetry  of  her  features.  Before  we  went 
away  the  old  woman  invited  Hughes  and  me  to 
drink  tea  any  afternoon  when  at  leisure. 

I  dined  with  Mr.  Fletcher  in  the  company  of  two 
Philadelphians,  who  could  not  be  easy  because  for- 
sooth they  were  in  their  nightcaps,  seeing  every- 
bod}'-  else  in  full  dress,  with  powdered  wigs,— it  not 
being  customary  in  Boston  to  go  to  dine  or  appear 
upon  Change  in  caps  as  they  do  in  other  parts  of 
America.  What  strange  creatures  we  are!  and 
what  trifles  make  us  uneasy!  It  is  no  mean  jest 
that  such  worthless  things  as  caps  and  wigs  should 
disturb  our  tranquillity  and  disorder  our  thoughts, 
when  we  imagine  they  are  worn  out  of  season.  I 
was  myself  much  in  the  same  state  of  uneasiness 
with  these  Philadelphians,  for  I  had  got  a  great 
hole  in  the  lappet  of  my  coat,  to  hide  which  em- 
ployed so  much  of  my  thoughts  in  company  that, 
for  want  of  attention  I  could  not  give  a  pertinent 
answer  when  I  was  spoke  to. 

I  visited  Mr.  Smibert  in  the  afternoon,  and  enter- 
tained myself  an  hour  or  two  with  his  paintings. 
At  night  I  was  visited  by  Messrs.  Parker  and 
Laughton,  who  did  not  tarry  long.  Mr.  Clerk 
came  and  spent  the  evening  with  me,  and  as  we 
were  a-discussing  points  of  philosophy  and  physick 
our  inquiries  were  interrupted  by  La  Moinnerie, 
who  entered  the  room  with  a  dish  of  roasted  mutton 
in  his  hand.  "Messieurs,  votre  serviteur,"  says  he. 
"Voila  du  mouton  roti ;  voulez-vous  manger  un  peu 
avec  moi?"    Dr.  Clerk  could  not  refrain  laughing, 

164 


but  I  payed  a  civil  compliment  or  two  to  Monsieur 
and  he  retired,  bowing,  carrying  his  mutton  with 
him. 

I  had  occasion  to  see  a  particular  diversion  this 
day,  which  they  call  "hauling  the  fox."  It  is  prac- 
tised upon  simple  clowns.  Near  the  town  there  is 
a  pond  of  about  half  a  quarter  of  a  mile  broad. 
Across  this  they  lay  a  rope,  and  two  or  three  strong 
fellows  concealed  in  the  bushes  hold  one  end  of  it. 
To  a  stump  in  view  there  is  tied  a  large  fox.  When 
they  can  lay  hold  of  an  ignorant  clown,  on  the  op- 
posite side  of  the  pond,  they  inveigle  him  by  de- 
grees into  the  scrape,  two  people  pretending  to 
wager,— one  upon  the  fox's  head,  and  the  other 
upon  the  clown's, — twenty  shillings  or  some  such 
matter,  that  the  fox  shall  not  or  shall  pull  him  thro' 
the  water  in  spite  of  his  teeth.  The  clown  easily 
imagines  himself  stronger  than  the  fox,  and  for  a 
small  reward  allows  the  rope  to  be  put  round  his 
waist,  which  done,  the  sturdy  fellows  on  the  other 
side,  behind  the  bush,  pull  lustily  for  their  friend 
the  fox,  who  sits  tied  to  his  stump  all  the  time  of  the 
operation, — being  only  a  mere  spectator, — and  haul 
poor  pilgarlick  with  great  rapidity  thro'  the  pond, 
while  the  water  hisses  and  foams  on  each  side  of 
him  as  he  ploughs  the  surface,  and  his  coat  is  well 
wet.  I  saw  a  poor  country  fellow  treated  in  this 
manner.  He  ran  thro'  the  water  upon  his  back  like 
a  log  of  wood,  making  a  frothy  line  across  the  pond, 
and  when  he  came  out  he  shook  himself,  and  swore 
he  could  not  have  believed  the  fox  had  so  much 
strength.  They  gave  him  twenty  shillings  to  help 
to  dry  his  coat.  He  was  pleased  with  the  reward, 
and  said  that  for  so  much  a  time  he  would  allow 


165 


the  fox  to  drag  him  thro'  the  pond  as  often  as  he 
pleased. 

Friday,  August  loth. — This  morning  proving  very 
rainy,  I  could  not  go  abroad  till  twelve  o'clock.  At 
that  hour  I  went  to  Withered's,  where  I  dined,  and 
from  thence  walked  down  the  Long  Wharf  with 
Mr.  Hughes,  Mr.  Peach,  and  his  brother. 

We  saw  a  French  prize  brought  in,  which  was 
taken  by  Waterhouse,  a  Boston  privateer.  She 
was  laden  with  wine,  brandy,  and  some  bail  goods 
to  the  value  of  £4,(XX)  sterling.  They  expected  in 
two  more  (fishing  vessels)  taken  by  the  same  pri- 
vateer. This  Waterhouse  has  a  well-fitted  vessel 
and  a  great  many  stout  hands,  but  by  some  mis- 
behaviour in  letting  go  a  small  privateer  and  a  large 
merchant  ship,  he  has  acquired  the  character  of 
cowardice.  He  was  tried  upon  the  affair  before 
the  Governour  and  Council,  but  acquitted  himself 
tolerably,  tho'  his  character  must  forever  suffer 
by  it. 

We  went  on  board  of  Mr.  Peach's  schooner,  in 
the  harbour,  where  we  drank  some  Bristo'  bottled 
cider.  From  thence  we  went  to  Close  street,  to 
visit  Mrs.  Blackater,  where  we  saw  the  two  young 
ladies,  her  daughters.  They  are  both  pretty  ladies, 
gay  and  airy.  They  appear  generally  at  home  in  a 
loose  deshabille,  which  in  a  manner  half  hides  and 
half  displays  their  charms,  notwithstanding  which 
they  are  clean  and  neat.  Their  fine  complexion 
and  shapes  are  good,  but  they  both  squint  and  look 
two  ways  with  their  eyes.  When  they  go  abroad 
they  dress  in  a  theatrical  manner,  and  seem  to  study 
the  art  of  catching.    There  passed  some  flashes  of 

i66 


wit  and  vivacity  of  expression  in  the  conversation, 
heightened  no  doubt  by  the  influencing  smiles  of  the 
young  ladies.  The  old  lady,  after  having  under- 
stood something  of  my  history,  gave  me  a  kind  invi- 
tation to  come  and  practise  physick  in  Boston,  and 
proffered  me  her  business,  and  that  of  all  the  friends 
she  could  make,  expressing  a  great  regard  for  her 
countrymen  and  particularly  for  physicians  of  that 
nation,  who,  she  said,  had  the  best  character  of  any. 
She  entertained  us  much  with  the  history  of  a 
brother  of  hers,  one  Philips,^  Governour  of  St.  Mar- 
tin's, a  small  Dutch  settlement,  and  had  got  seven 
or  eight  copies  of  his  picture  done  in  graving,  hung 
up  in  her  room.  Peach  passed  her  a  compliment, 
and  said  the  pictures  were  exceeding  like,  for  he 
knew  her  brother;  but  he  told  us  afterwards  that 
they  were  only  words  of  course,  for  there  was  no 
more  likeness  betwixt  the  man  and  his  picture  than 
betwixt  a  horse  and  a  cow.  This  old  woman  is 
rich,  and  her  daughters  are  reputed  fortunes.  They 
are  both  beauties,  and  were  it  not  for  the  squinting 
part  they  would  be  of  the  first  rate. 

After  a  very  gay  conversation  of  three  hours,  we 
went  away  and  I  repaired  to  Withered's  to  the  Phys- 
ical Club,  where  Dr.  D          gave  us  a  physical 

harangue  upon  a  late  book  of  surgery,  published  by 
Heister,^  in  which  he  tore  the  poor  author  all  to 
pieces  and  represented  him  as  entirely  ignorant  of 
the  affair.  Heister  is  a  man  of  such  known  learn- 
ing and  such  an  established  character  in  Europe, 
as  sets  him  above  any  criticism  from  such  a  man 
as  D  ,  who  is  only  a  cynical  mortal,  so  full 

1  Probably  Richard  Philips,  who  was  Governor  of  Nova  Scotia  1 720- 1 749. 

2  Dr.  Lorenz  Ileister,  born  1683,  professor  of  surgery  at  Helmstadt  from 
1720  until  his  death  in  1758;  the  founder  of  modern  German  surgery. 

167 


of  his  own  learning  that  any  other  man's  is  not 
current  with  him,    I  have  not  as  yet  seen  Heister's 

book  of  surgery,  but  D  's  criticism,  instead  of 

depreciating  it  in  my  opinion,  adds  rather  to  its 
character.  I  saw  it  recommended  in  the  Physical 
News  from  Edinburgh,  and  the  judgment  of  the 
literati  in  physick  of  that  place  preponderates  with 

me  all  that  D  can  say  against  it.    D  is  of 

the  clinical  class  of  physicians,  cries  up  empiricism, 
and  practises  upon  grounds  which  neither  he  him- 
self nor  anybody  for  him  can  reduce  to  so  much  as 
a  semblance  of  reason.  He  brags  often  of  his  hav- 
ing called  Boerhaave  a  helluo  librorum  in  a  thesis 
which  he  published  at  Leyden,  and  takes  care  to  in- 
form us  how  much  Boerhaave  was  nettled  at  it; 
just  as  much,  I  believe,  as  a  mastifiF  is  at  the  snarling 
of  a  little  lapdog.  There  are  in  this  town  a  set  of 
half-learned  physical  prigs,  to  w^hom  he  is  an  oracle 
(Dr.  Clerk  only  excepted,  who  thinks  for  himself). 
Leaving  this  company,  quite  sick  of  criticism  I 
went  home  at  eleven  o'clock. 

Saturday,  August  nth. — I  went  this  morning  with 
Mr.  Peach  and  breakfasted  upon  chocolate  at  the 
house  of  one  Monsieur  Bodineau,^  a  Frenchman, 
living  in  School  Street.  This  house  was  well  fur- 
nished with  women  of  all  sorts  and  sizes.  There 
w^ere  old  and  young,  tall  and  short,  fat  and  lean, 
ugly  and  pretty  dames  to  be  seen  here.  Among 
the  rest  was  a  girl  of  small  stature,— no  beauty, 
but  there  was  life  and  sense  in  her  conversation; 
her  wit  was  mixed  with  judgment  and  solidity,  her 
thoughts  were  quick,  lively,  and  well  expressed. 


1  Captain  Bodineau  lived  in  Sewall  Block. 

i68 


She  was,  in  fine,  a  proper  mixture  of  the  French 
mercury  and  EngHsh  phlegm. 

I  went  to  Change  at  twelve  o'clock,  and  dined 
with  Mr.  Arbuthnot.  I  had  a  tune  on  the  spinet 
from  his  daughter  after  dinner,  who  is  a  pretty, 
agreeable  lady,  and  sings  well.  I  told  her  that  she 
played  the  best  spinet  that  I  had  heard  since  I  came 
to  America.  The  old  man,  who  is  a  blunt,  honest 
fellow,  asked  me  if  I  could  pay  her  no  other  com- 
pliment but  that,  which  dashed  me  a  little;  but  I 
soon  replied  that  the  young  lady  was  every  way  so 
deserving  and  accomplished  that  nothing  that  was 
spoke  in  her  commendation  could  in  a  strict  sense 
be  called  a  compliment.  I  breathed  a  little  after 
this  speech,  there  being  something  romantic  in  it, 
and  considering  human  nature  in  a  proper  light, 
could  not  be  true.  The  young  lady  blushed;  the 
old  man  was  pleased  and  picked  his  teeth;  and  I 
was  conscious  that  I  had  talked  nonsense. 

I  was  disappointed  in  my  intention  of  going  to 
the  Castle  with  Messieurs  Parker  and  Laughton. 
They  called  before  I  came  home,  and  left  me,  ex- 
pecting that  I  would  follow  with  Dr.  Clerk,  who 
did  not  keep  the  appointment.  I  rid  out  in  the  even- 
ing with  Messrs.  Peach  and  Hughes  to  one  Jervise's, 
who  keeps  publick  house  four  miles  out  of  town.  This 
house  is  the  rendezvous  of  many  of  the  gentry  of  both 
sexes,  who  make  an  evening's  promenade  in  the 
summer  time.  There  was  a  great  deal  of  company, 
that  came  in  chairs  and  on  horseback.  I  saw  there 
my  old  friend  Captain  Noise.^  We  drank  punch, 
and  returned  to  town  at  eight  o'clock  at  night. 
After  some  comical  chat  with  La  Moinnerie,  I  went 

1  Captain  Oliver  Noyes,  selectman  of  Boston  in  1721. 
169 


and  supped  at  Withered's  with  Messrs.  Peach  and 
H  iighes. 

Sunday,  August  12th. — 1  went  this  day,  with  Mr. 
Hughes  and  Peach,  to  Hooper's  meeting,  dined  at 
Laughton's,  and  went  again  to  meeting  in  the  after- 
noon, where  I  saw  Mrs.  Blackater  and  her  two 
daughters  in  a  glaring  dress. 

This  day  I  was  taken  notice  of  in  passing  the 
street  by  a  lady  who  inquired  of  Mr.  Hughes  con- 
cerning me.  "Lord !"  said  she,  "what  strange  mor- 
tal is  that?"  "'T  is  the  flower  of  the  Maryland 
beaux,"  said  Hughes.  "Good  God!"  said  the 
belle,  "does  that  figure  come  from  Maryland?" 
"Madam,"  said  Hughes,  "he  is  a  Maryland  physi- 
cian." "O  Jesus!  a'  physician !  deuce  take  such  odd- 
looking  physicians."  I  desired  Hughes  when  he 
told  me  of  this  conference  to  give  my  humble  service 
to  the  lady,  and  tell  her  that  it  gave  me  vast  pleasure 
to  think  that  anything  particular  about  my  person 
could  so  attract  her  resplendent  eyes  as  to  make  her 
take  notice  of  me  in  such  a  singular  manner,  and 
that  I  intended  to  wait  upon  her  that  she  might  en- 
tertain her  opticks  with  my  oddity,  and  I  mine  with 
her  unparalleled  charms. 

I  took  a  walk  on  the  Long  Wharf  after  sermon, 
and  spent  the  evening  very  agreeably  with  Mr. 
Lightfoot  and  some  other  gentlemen  at  his  lodging. 
Our  discourse  began  upon  philosophy,  and  con- 
cluded in  a  smutty  strain. 

Monday,  August  i^th. — I  made  a  tour  thro'  the  town 
in  the  forenoon  with  Mr.  Hughes,  and  at  a  certain 
lady's  house  saw  a  white  monkey.    It  was  one  of 

170 


those  that  are  brought  from  the  Muscetto^  shore 
and  seemed  a  very  strange  creature.  It  was  about 
a  foot  long  in  its  body,  and  in  visage  exceeding 
Hke  an  old  man,  there  being  no  hair  upon  its  face, 
except  a  little  white  downy  beard.  It  laughed 
and  grinned  like  any  Christian  (as  people  say), 
and  was  exceeding  fond  of  its  mistress,  bussing 
her,  and  handling  her  bubbles  just  like  an  old 
rake.  One  might  well  envy  the  brute,  for  the  lady 
was  very  handsome,  so  that  it  would  have  been  no 
disagreeable  thing  for  a  man  to  have  been  in  this 
monkey's  place.  It  is  strange  to  see  how  fond 
these  brutes  are  of  women,  and,  on  the  other  hand, 
how  much  the  female  monkeys  affect  men.  The 
progress  of  Nature  is  surprising  in  many  such  in- 
stances. She  seems  by  one  connected  gradation  to 
pass  from  one  species  of  creatures  to  another,  with- 
out any  visible  gap,  interval,  or  discontinuum  in  her 
works.  But  an  infinity  of  her  operations  is  yet  un- 
known to  us. 

I  allotted  this  afternoon  to  go  to  the  Castle  with 
Messrs.  Brazier  ^  and  Hughes.  Before  dinner  I 
called  at  Hooper's,  and  agreed  to  go  to  Cambridge 
with  him  to-morrow  afternoon.  Brazier,  Hughes, 
and  I  took  horse  after  dinner,  and  rid  round  to 
the  point,  on  purpose  to  go  to  the  Castle,  but 
were  disappointed,  no  boat  coming  for  us.  It 
rained,  and,  as  we  returned  home  again,  we 
called  in  at  the  Greyhound  and  drank  some  punch. 
Some  children  in  the  street  took  me  for  an  Indian 
king  upon  account  of  my  laced  hat  and  sunburnt 
visage. 

1  Presumably  Mosquito  shore,  on  the  Gulf  of  Mexico. 
^  Edward  Brazer. 


171 


Tuesday,  August  14th.  — I  went  with  La  Moinnerie 
to  dine  at  Withered's,  he  having  now  got  a  permis- 
sion from  the  Governour  to  go  abroad.  We  had 
there  a  good  jolly  company. 

Mr.  Hooper  put  off  our  going  to  Cambridge  till 
to-morrow,  so  I  went  in  the  afternoon  with  Hughes 
to  the  house  of  Mr.  Harding/  and  had  some  con- 
versation with  a  very  agreeable  lady  there,  Mr. 
Withered's  sister.  This  lady  cannot  be  deemed 
handsome,  but  to  supply  the  want  of  that  natural 
accomplishment,  which  the  sex  are  so  very  fond  of, 
she  had  a  great  deal  of  good  sense  and  acquired 
knowledge,  which  appeared  to  the  best  advantage 
in  every  turn  of  her  discourse.  The  conversation 
was  lively,  entertaining,  and  solid;  neither  tainted 
with  false  or  trifling  wit  nor  ill-natured  satire  or 
reflexion, — of  late  so  much  the  topic  of  tea-tables. 
I  was  glad  to  find  that  in  most  of  the  politer  cabals 
of  ladies  in  this  town,  the  odious  theme  of  scandal 
and  detraction  over  their  tea  had  become  quite  un- 
fashionable and  unpolite,  and  was  banished  entirely 
to  the  assemblies  of  the  meaner  sort,  where  may  it 
dwell  forever,  quite  disregarded  and  forgotten,  re- 
tiring to  that  obscure  place  Billingsgate,  where  the 
monster  first  took  its  origin. 

Going  from  this  house,  we  went  and  surveyed  a 
ship  upon  the  stocks,  that  was  intended  for  a  pri- 
vateer. I  spent  the  evening  with  Mr.  Parker, 
where  I  drank  good  port  wine,  and  heard  news  of 
six  prizes  carried  into  New  York  by  the  company 
of  privateers  there.  There  was  in  our  company 
one  Hill,  who  told  us  a  long  insipid  story  concern- 
ing a  squint-eyed  parson,  a  cat,  and  the  devil.  I 

1  Probably  Edward  Haradine,  who  became  a  citizen  of  Boston  in  1744. 


172 


71* 


t  ec^t^  <>/r-c*-»*^  Jir*-^^  '^t^ct^t^^tM^  X  Gi 

-/^OC^^^^istA^    /<^^^c'«>»».«^4>^  /Jt^^^!i./t«^  /^A-*^ 

dltjyo^'.iuf^ ,  ^^J^  HsM    fjTA^,  l^S^-A.e^^>fi^_^<t;4.  it  Ia^^ 


QiUam  dj'  y^truyt^  (]cAy>-^>^  uuis^VXM  ^irvA.^  1^ 

( "^/rvyif^eAyyt^i^  ffj^  J/Vttx  v-cJix^  Pf^jLir^^  l/t\jUr^  ftro^  a-^v*^ 

^JUUrv,  Ik^ofia^  9rL0L^Wi^ — 


had  a  letter  from  Miss  Withered  to  her  brother  in 
Maryland,  who  lives  upon  Sassafras  River. 

Wednesday,  August  i ^th. — I  went  this  morning  with 
Messrs.  Hooper  and  Hughes  to  Cambridge.  Upon 
the  road  we  met  two  of  the  French  Mohooks  on 
horseback,  dressed,  a  la  mode  frangaise,  with  laced 
hats,  full-trimmed  coats,  and  ruffled  shirts.  One 
of  them  was  an  old  fellow;  the  other  a  young  man 
with  a  squaw  mounted  behind  him.  The  squaw 
seemed  to  be  a  pretty  woman,  all  bedaubed  with 
wampum.  They  were  upon  little  roan  horses,  and 
had  a  journey  of  above  700  miles  to  make  by  land. 

Upon  the  road  to  Cambridge,  the  lands  are  en- 
closed with  fine  stone  fences,  and  some  of  the  gates 
have  posts  of  one  entire  stone,  set  right  up  upon 
end,  about  eight  or  ten  feet  high.  The  country  all 
round  is  open  and  pleasant,  and  there  is  a  great 
number  of  pretty  country  houses  scattered  up  and 
down. 


Cambridge 

When  we  came  to  Cambridge  we  waited  upon  Mr. 
Hollyhoak,^  the  president,  who  sent  the  librarian^ 
to  show  us  the  college  and  the  library.  Cambridge 
is  a  scattered  town  about  the  largeness  of  Annapolis, 
and  is  delightfully  situated  upon  a  pleasant  plain 
near  a  pretty  river  of  the  same  name,^  over  which 
is  a  wooden  bridge.   The  college  is  a  square  build- 

1  Rev.  Edward  Holyoke,  president  of  Harvard  College  from  173710 
1769.    His  official  residence  was  the  present  Wadsworth  House. 

2  Matthew  Gushing,  librarian  of  Harvard  College  from  1743  to  1748. 
*  An  evident  error,  since  the  stream  is  the  Charles  River. 


ing  or  quadrangle  about  150  feet  every  way.  The 
building  upon  the  left  hand  as  you  enter  the  court  is 
the  largest  and  handsomest  and  most  ancient,  being 
about  100  years  old;  but  the  middle  or  front  building 
is  indifferent,  and  of  no  taste.  That  upon  the  right 
hand  has  a  little  clock  upon  it,  which  has  a  very 
good  bell.  In  the  library  are  three  or  four  thou- 
sand volumes  with  some  curious  editions  of  the 
classics,  presented  to  the  college  by  Dean  Barklay. 
There  are  some  curiosities,  the  best  of  which  is  the 
cut  of  a  tree  about  ten  inches  thick  and  eight  long, 
entirely  petrified  and  turned  into  stone. 


Charlestown  Ferry— Castle  of  Boston 

We  returned  from  Cambridge  by  the  way  of 
Charlestown.  Crossing  that  ferry  to  Boston,  we 
dined  at  Withered's  with  a  pretty  large  company, 
and  in  the  afternoon  had  a  pleasant  sail  to  the  Cas- 
tle, where  the  Governour  and  Assembly  were  met, 
to  consult  about  fortifying  of  Governour's  Island, 
which  is  situated  just  opposite  to  that  whereon  the 
Castle  stands.  This  Castle  consists  of  a  large  half- 
moon  with  two  bastions,  defended  with  a  glacis  of 
earth  and  wood  which  is  cannon  proof.  Upon  these 
are  mounted  about  forty  great  iron  guns,  each 
thirty-two-pounders.  Upon  the  higher  works  or 
walls  of  this  Castle  are  mounted  above  one  hundred 
smaller  guns,  most  of  them  twelve  or  eighteen- 
pounders.  Upon  the  most  eminent  place  is  a  look- 
out, where  stands  the  flag-staff,  and  where  a  sentry 
is  always  posted.  From  here  you  can  see  pretty 
plainly  with  a  spy-glass. 


174 


Lighthouse 


About  nine  miles  farther  out,  upon  a  small  island 
is  the  Lighthouse,  which  is  a  high  stone  building 
in  form  of  a  sugar-loaf,  upon  the  top  of  which  every 
night  they  burn  oil,  to  direct  and  guide  the  vessels 
at  sea  into  the  harbour.  There  is  a  draw-well  in 
the  Castle,  which  is  covered  with  an  arch  of  brick 
and  stone  in  fashion  of  a  vault.  In  the  most  emi- 
nent place  is  a  square  court,  upon  one  side  of  which 
is  a  chapel  and  stateroom,  upon  the  other  some 
dwelling-houses. 

We  went  to  see  Mr.  Philips,  the  chaplain  there, 
and  returned  to  town  at  nine  o'clock  at  night.  I 
supped  with  Hughes  at  Withered's,  and  saw  one 
Mr.  Simmonds  there,  a  gentleman  residing  at 
Charleston  in  South  Carolina,  who  was  going  there 
by  land,  and  proposed  to  go  in  company  with  me  to 
Maryland. 

Thursday,  August  i6th. — I  stayed  at  home  most  of 
the  forenoon  and  had  a  deal  of  chat  with  La  Moin- 
nerie.  I  regretted  much  that  I  should  be  obliged  to 
leave  this  facetious  companion  so  soon,  upon  the  ac- 
count of  losing  his  diverting  conversation,  and  the 
opportunity  of  learning  to  speak  good  French,  for 
he  used  to  come  to  my  room  every  morning  and  hold 
forth  an  hour  before  breakfast. 

I  intended  to  begin  my  journey  homeward  to- 
morrow. I  dined  with  Hughes  at  Dr.  Gardiner's,* 
and  our  table  talk  was  agreeable  and  instructing, 
divested  of  these  trifles  with  which  it  is  commonly 
loaded.    We  visited  at  Mrs.  Blackater's  in  the 

1  Dr.  Sylvester  Gardiner,  physician  and  merchant  of  Boston. 


afternoon,  and  had  the  pleasure  of  drinking  tea 
with  one  of  her  fair  daughters,  the  old  woman  and 
the  other  daughter  being  gone  to  their  country 
farm. 

I  went  in  the  evening  with  Mr.  Hughes  to  a  club 
at  Withered's,  where  we  had  a  deal  of  discourse  in 
the  disputatory  way.  One  Mr.  Clackenbridge  (very 
properly  so  named  upon  account  of  the  volubility  of 
his  tongue)  was  the  chief  disputant  as  to  verbosity 
and  noise,  but  not  as  to  sense  or  argument.  This 
was  a  little  dapper  fellow,  full  of  the  opinion  of  his 
own  learning.  He  pretended  to  argue  against  all 
the  company,  but  like  a  confused  logician  he  could 
not  hold  an  argument  long,  but  wandered  from  one 
topic  to  another,  leading  us  all  into  confusion  and 
loud  talking.  He  set  up  for  a  woman-hater,  and 
preferring  what  he  called  liberty  before  every  other 
enjoyment  in  life,  he  therefore  decried  marriage  as 
a  political  institution,  destructive  of  human  liberty. 

My  head  being  quite  turned  this  night  with  this 
confused  dispute,  and  the  thoughts  of  my  journey 
to-morrow,  I  got  into  a  strange  fit  of  absence;  for, 
having  occasion  to  go  out  of  the  company  two  or 
three  times  to  talk  with  Mr.  Withered,  I  heedlessly 
every  time  went  into  a  room  where  there  was  a 
strange  company,  as  I  returned,  and  twice  sat  down 
in  the  midst  of  them,  nor  did  I  discover  I  was  in  the 
wrong  box  till  I  found  them  all  staring  at  me.  For 
the  first  slip  I  was  obliged  to  form  the  best  apology 
I  could,  but  at  the  second  hit  I  was  so  confused  and 
saw  them  so  inclinable  to  laugh  that  I  ran  out  at 
the  door  precipitately,  without  saying  anything  and 
betook  me  to  the  right  company.  I  went  to  my 
lodging  at  twelve  o'clock. 

176 


IfiiP^  tA^  OtO-*"^^   ^i2<»,*,ewe,^  '^^ec^    fK-ct-t^  o^-Sxy-H^   ^ 


ijiyr<  5^4^   ^t*/      f>^--cU^lu^»upu,^  ^^^^^^ 


^^tvi?^  ^7<An4^.,  Ot/-^  Q^i,^yjL^  rxJkt^v  i^furr^  a^4-i^tiS- 

^  i^aMt^ 
jwJ^J^  ^er^^^^rJl^  r,U^.j^  l^'^. 

cU^j/s/y^t^ti^xS^,  nrt^iAje^.^ ^^^^  ♦oi^ 


'fHtM^,  olmQ-  p^i  (ixLtr^  fyt/TM.  ft\*^ Jt/^^'^ul- <Y JyrU4/i^ 
p\J^  j/r^tt^*^  'yy^^r  u-^cu'  ix^^c*Ay  tytxrn^^tf^f'lf^^^^^^^^ 


I  need  scarce  take  notice  that  Boston  is  the  largest 
town  in  North  America,  being  much  about  the  same 
extent  as  the  city  of  Glasgow  in  Scotland,  and  hav- 
ing much  the  same  number  of  inhabitants,  which  is 
between  twenty  and  thirty  thousand.  It  is  consid- 
erably larger  than  either  Philadelphia  or  New 
York,  but  the  streets  are  irregularly  disposed,  and 
in  general  too  narrow.  The  best  street  in  the  town 
is  that  which  runs  down  towards  the  Long  Wharf, 
which  goes  by  the  name  of  King's  Street.  This  town 
is  a  considerable  place  for  shipping,  and  carries  on  a 
great  trade  in  time  of  peace.  There  are  now  above 
one  hundred  ships  in  the  harbour,  besides  a  great 
number  of  small  craft,  tho'  now  upon  account  of 
the  war  the  times  are  very  dead.  The  people  of 
this  Province  chiefly  follow  farming  and  merchan- 
dise. Their  staples  are  shipping,  lumber,  and  fish. 
The  Government  is  so  far  democratic  as  that  the 
election  of  the  Governour's  Council  and  the  great 
officers  is  made  by  the  members  of  the  Lower  House, 
or  Representatives  of  the  people.  Mr.  Shirley,^  the 
present  Governour,  is  a  man  of  excellent  sense  and 
understanding,  and  is  very  well  respected  there. 
He  understands  how  to  humour  the  people,  and  at 
the  same  time  acts  for  the  interest  of  the  Govern- 
ment. 

Boston  is  better  fortified  against  an  enemy  than 
any  port  in  North  America,  not  only  upon  account 
of  the  strength  of  the  Castle,  but  the  narrow  pas- 
sage up  into  the  harbour,  which  is  not  above  i6o 
feet  wide  in  the  channel  at  high  water. 

There  are  many  dififerent  religions  and  persua- 

1  William  Shirley,  born  1693;  Governor  of  Massachusetts  1741-1745; 
died  1 771. 

177 


sions  here,  but  the  chief  sect  is  that  of  the  Presby- 
terians. There  are  above  twenty-five  churches, 
chapels,  and  meetings  in  the  town,  but  the  Quakers 
here  have  but  a  small  remnant,  having  been  banished 
the  Province  at  the  first  settlement  upon  account  of 
some  disturbances  they  raised.  The  people  here 
have  lately  been,  and  indeed  are  now  in  great  confu- 
sion and  much  infested  with  enthusiasm  from  the 
preaching  of  some  fanatics  and  Newlight  teachers, 
but  now  this  humour  begins  to  lessen.  The  people 
are  generally  more  captivated  with  speculative  than 
with  practical  religion.  It  is  not  by  half  such  a 
flagrant  sin  to  cheat  and  cozen  one's  neighbour,  as 
it  is  to  ride  about  for  pleasure  on  the  sabbath  day, 
or  to  neglect  going  to  church  and  singing  of  psalms. 
The  middling  sort  of  people  here  are  to  a  degree 
disingenuous  and  dissembling,  which  appears  even 
in  their  common  conversation,  in  which  their  in- 
direct and  dubious  answers  to  the  plainest  and 
fairest  questions  show  their  suspicions  of  one  an- 
other. The  better  sort  are  polite,  mannerly,  and 
hospitable  to  strangers, — such  strangers  I  mean  as 
come  not  to  trade  among  them  (for  of  them  they 
are  jealous).  There  is  more  hospitality  and  frank- 
ness shown  here  to  strangers  than  either  at  York 
or  at  Philadelphia,  and  in  the  place  there  is  an 
abundance  of  men  of  learning  and  parts  so  that  one 
is  at  no  loss  for  agreeable  conversation,  nor  for 
any  set  of  company  he  pleases.  Assemblies  of  the 
gayer  sort  are  frequent  here,  the  gentlemen  and 
ladies  meeting  almost  every  week  at  concerts  of 
musick  and  balls.  I  was  present  at  two  or  three 
such,  and  saw  as  fine  a  ring  of  ladies,  as  good  danc- 
ing, and  heard  musick  as  elegant  as  I  had  been  wit- 

178 


ness  to  anywhere.  I  must  take  notice  that  this 
place  abounds  with  pretty  women,  who  appear 
rather  more  abroad  than  they  do  at  York,  and  dress 
elegantly.  They  are  for  the  most  part  free  and  af- 
fable as  well  as  pretty,  I  saw  not  one  prude  while 
I  was  here. 

The  paper  currency  of  these  Provinces  is  now 
very  much  depreciated,  and  the  price  or  value  of 
silver  rises  every  day,  their  money  being  now  six 
for  one  upon  sterling.  They  have  a  variety  of 
paper  currencies  in  the  Provinces;  viz.,  that  of  New 
Hampshire,  the  Massachusetts,  Rhode  Island,  and 
Connecticut,  all  of  different  value,  divided  and  sub- 
divided into  old  and  new  tenors,  so  that  it  is  a  sci- 
ence to  know  the  nature  and  value  of  their  moneys, 
and  what  will  cost  a  stranger  some  study  and  appli- 
cation. 

Dr.  Douglass  has  writ  a  compleat  treatise  upon 
all  the  different  kinds  of  paper  currencies  in  Amer- 
ica,^ which  I  was  at  the  pains  to  read.  It  was  the 
expense  of  the  Canada  expedition  that  first  brought 
this  Province  in  debt  and  put  them  upon  the  project 
of  issuing  bills  of  credit.  Their  money  is  chiefly 
founded  upon  land  security,  but  the  reason  of  its 
falling  so  much  in  value  is  their  issuing  from  time 
to  time  such  large  sums  of  it,  and  their  taking  no 
care  to  make  payments  at  the  expiration  of  the  stated 
terms.  They  are  notoriously  guilty  of  this  in  Rhode 
Island  Colony,  so  that  now  it  is  dangerous  to  pass 
their  new  moneys  in  the  other  parts  of  New  Eng- 
land, it  being  a  high  penalty  to  be  found  so  doing. 
This  fraud  must  light  heavily  upon  posterity.  This 

1  Discourses  Concerning  the  Currencies  of  the  British  Plantations  in 
America;  London,  1739;  Boston,  1740. 


179 


is  the  only  part  ever  I  knew  where  gold  and  silver 
coin  is  not  commonly  current. 

Friday,  August  lyth.  —  l  left  Boston  this  morning  at 
half  an  hour  after  nine  o'clock,  and  nothing  I  re- 
gretted so  much  as  parting  with  La  Moinnerie,  the 
most  lively  and  merry  companion  ever  I  had  met 
with,  always  gay  and  chearful,  now  dancing  and 
then  singing,  tho'  every  day  in  danger  of  being 
made  a  prisoner.  This  is  the  peculiar  humour  of 
the  French  in  prosperity  and  adversity.  Their 
temper  is  always  alike,  far  different  from  the  Eng- 
lish, who,  upon  the  least  misfortune  are  for  the 
most  part  clogged  and  overclouded  with  melan- 
choly and  vapours,  and  giving  way  to  hard  fortune 
shun  all  gayety  and  mirth.  La  Moinnerie  was 
much  concerned  at  my  going  away  and  wished  me 
again  and  again  un  hon  voyage  and  bonne  sante, 
keeping  fast  hold  of  my  stirrup  for  about  a  quarter 
of  an  hour. 


Dedham 

I  HAD  a  solitary  ride  to  Dedham,  where  I  break- 
fasted at  Fisher's  and  had  some  comical  chat  with 
Betty,  the  landlady's  daughter,  a  jolly  buxom  girl. 
The  country  people  here  are  full  of  salutations,  even 
the  country  girls  that  are  scarce  old  enough  to  walk 
will  curtsy  to  one  passing  by.  A  great  lubberly 
boy  with  short  cut  hair,  having  no  cap,  put  his  hand 
to  his  forehead  as  I  passed  him,  in  fashion  as  if  he 
had  been  pulling  off  his  cap. 

1 80 


Wrentham 


I  DINED  at  Mann's  in  the  town  of  Wrentham,  and 
was  served  by  a  fat  Irish  girl,  very  pert  and  for- 
ward, but  not  very  engaging.  I  proceeded  this 
night  to  Hake's,  where  I  lay.  There  was  here  a 
large  company,  and  among  the  rest  a  doctor,  a  tall, 
thin  man,  about  whom  nothing  appeared  remark- 
able but  his  dress.  He  had  a  weather-beaten  black 
wig,  an  old  striped  collimancoe  banyan  and  an 
antique  brass  spur  upon  his  right  ankle,  and  a 
pair  of  thick-soaled  shoes  tied  with  points.  They 
told  me  he  was  the  learnedest  physician  of  these 
parts. 

I  went  upstairs  at  nine  o'clock  and  heard  my 
landlady  at  prayers  for  an  hour  after  I  went  to  bed. 
The  partition  was  thin,  and  I  could  distinctly  hear 
what  she  said.  She  abounded  with  tautologies  and 
groaned  very  much  in  the  spirit,  praying  again  and 
again  for  the  fulness  of  grace  and  the  blessing  of 
regeneration  and  the  new  birth. 


Providence 

Saturday,  August  i8th.—l  set  out  from  Hake's  be- 
twixt seven  and  eight  in  the  morning,  the  weather 
being  cloudy  and  close.  I  went  by  the  way  of 
Providence,  which  is  a  small  but  long  town,  situated 
close  upon  the  water,  upon  rocky  ground,  much  like 
Marblehead,  but  not  a  sixth  part  so  large.  It  is  the 
seat  of  Government  in  Providence  Colony,  there  be- 
ing an  Assembly  of  the  Delegates  sometimes  held 
here. 

i8i 


Nantucket  Fall' 


About  four  miles  northeast  of  this  town  there  runs 
a  small  river,  which  falls  down  a  rock,  about  three 
fathoms  high,  over  which  fall  there  is  a  wooden 
bridge.  The  noise  of  the  fall  so  scared  my  horses  that 
1  was  obliged  to  light  and  lead  them  over  the  bridge. 
At  this  place  there  are  iron  works.  I  breakfasted  in 
Providence  at  one  Angell's,^  at  the  sign  of  the  White 
Horse,  a  queer  pragmatical  old  fellow,  pretending 
to  great  correctness  of  style  in  his  common  dis- 
course. I  found  this  fellow  at  the  door,  and  asked 
him  if  the  house  was  not  kept  by  one  Angell.  He 
answered  in  a  surly  manner:  "No."  "Pardon  me," 
says  I,  "they  recommended  me  to  such  a  house." 
So,  as  I  turned  away,  being  loath  to  lose  his  cus- 
tomer, he  called  me  back.  "Hark  ye,  friend,"  says 
he,  in  the  same  blunt  manner,  "Angell  don't  keep 
the  house,  but  the  house  keeps  Angell."  I  hesi- 
tated for  some  time  if  I  should  give  this  surly  chap 
my  custom,  but  resolved  at  last  to  reap  some  enter- 
tainment from  the  oddity  of  the  fellow. 

While  I  waited  for  the  chocolate  which  I  had  or- 
dered for  breakfast,  Angell  gave  me  an  account  of 
his  religion  and  opinions,  which  I  found  were  as 
much  out  of  the  common  road  as  the  man  himself. 
I  observed  a  paper  pasted  upon  the  wall,  which  was 
a  rabble  of  dull  controversy  betwixt  two  learned 
divines,  of  as  great  consequence  to  the  publick  as 
The  Story  of  the  King  and  the  Cobbler  or  The 
Celebrated  History  of  the  Wise  Men  of  Gotham. 
This  controversy  was  intituled  Cannons  to  batter 

1  Present  city  of  Pawtucket. 

2  Probably. Joseph  Angell,  who  in  1750  paid  eight  pounds  for  his  license. 

182 


the  Tower  of  Babel.  Among  the  rest  of  the  cham- 
ber furniture  were  several  elegant  pictures,  finely 
illuminated  and  coloured,  being  the  famous  piece  of 
The  Battle  for  the  Breeches,  The  Twelve  Golden 
Rules,  taken  from  King  Charles  I's  study,  of  blessed 
memory  (as  he  is  very  judiciously  styled),  The 
Christian  Coat  of  Arms,  &c.,  &c.,  &c.,  in  which 
pieces  are  set  forth  divine  attitudes  and  elegant  pas- 
sions, all  sold  by  Overton,  that  inimitable  ale-house 
designer  at  the  White  Horse  without  Newgate. 

I  left  this  town  at  ten  o'clock,  and  was  taken  by 
some  children  in  the  street  for  a  trooper,  on  account 
of  my  pistols. 


Providence  Ferry— Ferry  Bristo'— Ferry 
Rhode  Island 

I  crossed  Providence  Ferry  betwixt  ten  and  eleven 
o'clock,  and  after  some  difficulty  in  finding  my  way, 
I  crossed  another  ferry  about  four  miles  eastward 
of  Bristo'.  I  arrived  in  Bristo'  at  one  o'clock,  and 
a  little  after  crossed  the  ferry  to  Rhode  Island,  and 
dined  at  Burden's.  I  departed  thence  at  four 
o'clock,  but  was  obliged  to  stop  twice  before  I  got 
to  Newport  upon  the  account  of  rain. 

I  went  into  a  house  for  shelter,  where  were  sev- 
eral young  girls,  the  daughters  of  the  good  woman 
of  the  house.  They  were  as  simple  and  awkward 
as  sheep,  and  so  wild  that  they  would  not  appear  in 
open  view,  but  kept  peeping  at  me  from  behind 
doors,  chests,  and  benches.  The  country  people 
in  this  island  in  general  are  very  unpolished  and 
rude. 

183 


Newport 


I  ENTERED  Newport  betwixt  seven  and  eight  at 
night,  a  thick  fog  having  risen,  so  that  I  could 
scarce  find  the  town.  When  within  a  quarter  of  a 
mile  of  it  my  man,  upon  account  of  the  portman- 
teau, was  in  the  dark  taken  for  a  peddler  by  some 
people  in  the  street,  whom  I  heard  coming  about 
him  and  inquiring  what  he  had  got  to  sell.  I  put 
up  at  Niccoll's,*  at  the  sign  of  the  White  Horse,  and 
lying  there  that  night  was  almost  eat  up  alive  with 
bugs. 

Sunday,  August  ipth.  —  l  called  upon  Dr.  Moffatt 
in  the  morning,  and  went  with  him  to  a  windmill 
near  the  town  to  look  out  for  vessels,  but  could  spy 
none.  The  mill  was  a-going,  and  the  miller  in  it 
grinding  of  corn,  which  is  an  instance  of  their  not 
being  so  observant  of  Sunday  here  as  in  the  other 
parts  of  New  England. 

I  dined  at  Dr.  Mofifatt's  lodging,  and  in  the  after- 
noon went  to  a  Baptist  meeting  to  hear  sermon.  A 
middle-aged  man  preached,  and  gave  us  a  pretty 
good  tho'  trite  discourse  upon  morality.  I  took 
lodging  at  one  Mrs.  Leech's,  a  Quaker,  who  keeps 
an  apothecary's  shop,  a  sensible,  discreet,  and  in- 
dustrious old  woman. 

Dr.  MofiFatt  took  me  out  this  evening  to  walk 
near  the  town,  where  are  a  great  many  pleasant 
walks  amidst  avenues  of  trees.  We  viewed  Mr. 
Malbone's  house  and  gardens,  and  as  we  returned 
home  met  Malbone  himself,  with  whom  we  had 
some  talk  about  news.    We  were  met  by  a  hand- 

1  Nicolas  Tavern,  now  known  as  the  White  Horse  Tavern,  and  still  stand- 
ing up  to  1884. 

184 


some  bona-roba  in  a  flaunting  dress,  who  laughed 
us  full  in  the  face.  Malbone  and  I  supposed  she  was 
a  paramour  of  Mofifatt's,  for  none  of  us  knew  her. 
We  bantered  him  upon  it,  and  discovered  the  truth 
of  our  conjecture  by  raising  a  blush  in  his  face. 

Monday,  August  20th.— I  made  a  tour  round  the 
town  this  morning  with  Dr.  Moffatt.  I  dined  with 
him,  and  in  the  afternoon  went  to  the  coffee-house, 
and  after  drinking  a  dish  of  coffee,  we  went  with 
Mr.  Grant,  a  Scotch  gentleman  in  town,  and  took 
a  walk  across  one  end  of  the  island,  where  we  had 
several  delightful  views  to  the  water.  There  is 
one  cliff  here,  just  bluff  upon  the  ocean,  called 
Hog's-hole,  out  of  which  filtre  some  springs  of  very- 
fine  fresh  water.  It  affords  a  cool,  pleasant  shade 
in  the  summer  time,  for  which  reason  the  ladies  go 
there  to  drink  tea  in  a  summer's  afternoon.  We 
encountered  some  fair  dames  there,  and  had  abun- 
dance of  gallantry  and  romping. 

At  seven  o'clock  I  went  with  one  Mr.  Scot  ^  to  a 
Club,  which  sits  once  a  week  upon  Mondays,  called 
the  Philosophical  Club.  But  I  was  surprised  to 
find  that  no  matters  of  philosophy  were  brought 
upon  the  carpet.  They  talked  of  privateering  and 
building  of  vessels ;  then  we  had  the  history  of  some 
old  families  in  Scotland,  where,  by  the  bye,  Grant 
told  us  a  comic  piece  of  history  relating  to  General 
Wade  ^  and  Lord  Lovat.^  The  latter  had  somehow 

1  Probably  Edward  Scott,  grand-uncle  of  Sir  Walter  Scott ;  master  of  the 
Grammar  School  of  Newport. 

2  George  Wade,  born  in  Scotland,  1673  ;  worked  his  way  up  the  British 
army  to  a  major-generalship  in  1714;  in  1724  was  sent  to  Scotland  to  bring 
that  country  into  closer  relations  with  England;  died  1748. 

3  Simon  Eraser,  12th  Lord  Lovat,  born  1667,  typical  politician,  intriguer, 
and  Jacobite  leader;  beheaded  1747,  laying  his  head  on  the  block  with  the 
words,  "  Dulce  et  decorum  est  pro  patria  mori !" 

i8S 


or  other  incurred  Wade's  displeasure,  who  there- 
fore made  it  his  business  to  get  him  turned  out  of 
a  Colonel's  commission  which  he  then  possessed. 
What  he  accused  him  of  was  his  keeping  a  raga- 
muffin company  of  cowherds  and  other  such  trash 
to  make  the  number  of  his  regiment  compleat,  while 
he  put  the  pay  in  his  own  pocket.  Wade  upon  a 
time  comes  to  review  this  regiment.  Lovat  being 
advertised  beforehand  of  this  review  laid  his  scheme 
so  that  he  procured  a  parcel  of  likely  fellows  to  come 
upon  the  field,  who  made  a  tolerable  appearance. 
When  the  General  had  reviewed  them,  my  Lord 
asked  him  what  he  thought  of  his  men.  "Very 
good  cowherds  in  faith,  my  Lord,"  replied  the  Gen- 
eral. Lovat  asked  what  his  Excellency  meant  by 
that  reply.  The  General  answered  that  he  was  or- 
dered to  signify  his  Majesty's  pleasure  to  him  that 
he  should  serve  no  longer  as  Colonel  of  that  regi- 
ment. "Look  ye,  sir,"  says  Lovat,  "his  Majesty 
may  do  in  that  afifair  as  he  pleases ;  it  is  his  gift,  and 
he  may  take  it  again,  but  one  thing  he  cannot  with- 
out just  reason  take  from  me,  which  makes  a  wide 
difference  betwixt  you  and  me."  Wade  desired 
him  to  explain  himself.  "Why,  thus  it  is,"  says 
Lovat :  "When  the  king  takes  away  my  commission 
I  am  still  Lord  Lovat;  when  he  takes  yours  away,— 
pray  observe,  sir,  that  your  name  is  George  Wade." 
This  unconcerned  behaviour  nettled  Wade  very 
much  and  blunted  the  edge  of  his  revenge.  After 
this  history  was  given,  the  company  fell  upon  the 
disputes  and  controversies  of  the  fanatics  of  these 
parts,  their  declarations,  recantations,  letters,  ad- 
vices, remonstrances,  and  other  such  damned  stuff, 
of  so  little  consequence  to  the  benefit  of  mankind  or 

i86 


the  publick  that  I  looked  upon  all  time  spent  in 
either  talking  concerning  them  or  reading  their 
works  as  eternally  lost  and  thrown  away,  and  there- 
fore disgusted  with  such  a  stupid  subject  of  dis- 
course, I  left  this  Club  and  went  home. 

Tuesday,  August  21st.— 1  stayed  at  home  most  of  the 
forenoon  and  read  Murcius,  which  I  had  of  Dr.  Mof- 
fatt,  a  most  luscious  piece,  from  whom  all  our  mod- 
ern salacious  poets  have  borrowed  their  thoughts. 
I  did  not  read  this  book  upon  account  of  its  lickerish 
contents,  but  only  because  I  knew  it  to  be  a  piece  of 
excellent  good  Latin,  and  I  wanted  to  inform  myself 
of  the  proper  idiom  of  y^  language  upon  that  subject. 

I  walked  out  betwixt  twelve  and  one  with  Dr. 
Moffatt,  and  viewed  Malbone's  house  and  gardens. 
We  went  to  the  lanthern  or  cupola  at  top,  from 
which  we  had  a  pretty  view  of  the  town  of  Newport 
and  of  the  sea  towards  Block  Island,  and  behind 
the  house  of  a  pleasant  mount,  gradually  ascending 
to  a  great  height,  from  which  we  can  have  a 
view  of  almost  the  whole  island.  Returning  from 
thence,  we  went  to  the  coffee-house,  where,  after 
drinking  some  punch,  the  doctor  and  I  went  to  dine 
with  Mr.  Grant.  After  dinner  I  rid  out  of  town  in 
a  chaise  with  Dr.  Keith,  one  Captain  Williams '  ac- 
companying us  on  horseback. 

Whitehall 

We  called  at  a  publick  house,  which  goes  by  the 
name  of  Whitehall,  kept  by  one  Anthony,  about 

1  Perhaps  Ephraim  Williams,  colonel  in  the  French  and  Indian  War. 

187 


three  miles  out  of  town,  once  the  dwelling-house  of 
the  famous  Dean  Barclay/  when  in  this  island,  and 
built  by  him.  As  we  went  along  the  road,  we  had  a 
number  of  agreeable  prospects. 

At  Anthony's  we  drank  punch  and  tea,  and  had 
the  company  of  a  handsome  girl,  his  daughter,  to 
whom  Captain  Williams  expressed  a  deal  of  gal- 
lantry. She  was  the  most  unaffected  and  best  be- 
haved country  girl  ever  I  met  with.  Her  modesty 
had  nothing  of  the  prude  in  it,  nor  had  her  frolick- 
some  freeness  any  dash  of  impudence. 

We  returned  to  town  at  seven  o'clock,  and  spent 
the  rest  of  the  night  at  the  coffee-house,  where  our 
ears  were  not  only  frequently  regaled  with  the 
sound  of  very  welcome,  sir,  and  very  welcome,  gen- 
tlemen, pronounced  solemnly,  slowly,  and  with  an 
audible  voice  to  such  as  came  in  and  went  out  by 
Hassey,  a  queer  old  dog,  the  keeper  of  the  coffee- 
house, but  we  were  likewise  alarmed  (not  charmed) 
for  half  an  hour  by  a  man  w^ho  sang  with  such  a 
trumpet  note  that  I  was  afraid  he  would  shake  down 
the  walls  of  the  house  about  us.  I  went  home  be- 
twixt nine  and  ten  o'clock. 

Wednesday,  August  22d.—l  stayed  at  home  all  this 
morning,  and  betwixt  twelve  and  one,  going  to  the 
coffee-house,  I  met  Dr.  Keith  and  Captain  Wil- 
liams. We  tossed  the  news  about  for  some  time. 
Hassey,  W'ho  keeps  this  coffee-house,  is  a  comical 

1  George  Berkeley  (often  called  Barkley),  born  in  Ireland  1684;  author 
of  Three  Dialogues  between  Hylas  and  Philonous  and  other  philosophical 
works,  in  which  he  denied  the  existence  of  matter;  Dean  of  Derry,  1724; 
became  interested  in  the  conversion  of  the  Indians  and  came  over  to  New- 
port, 1729,  where  he  built  a  house  called  "Whitehall";  returned  to  Eng- 
land, 1 73 1,  giving  his  farm  and  library  to  Yale  College.  Died  at  Oxford, 
1753- 

188 


old  whimsical  fellow.  He  imagines  that  he  can 
discover  the  longitude,  and  affirms  that  it  is  no  way 
to  be  done  but  by  an  instrument  made  of  whalebone 
and  cartilage  or  gristle.  He  carried  his  notions  so 
far  as  to  send  proposals  to  the  Provincial  Assembly 
about  it,  who,  having  called  him  before  them,  he  was 
asked  if  he  was  a  proficient  in  the  mathematicks. 
"Why,  lookee,  gentlemen,"  says  he,  "suppose  a  great 
stone  lies  in  the  street,  and  you  want  to  move  it,  un- 
less there  be  some  moving  cause,  how  the  devil  shall 
it  move?"  The  Assembly  finding  him  talk  thus  in 
parables,  dismissed  him  as  a  crazy  gentleman,  whom 
too  little  learning  had  made  mad.  He  gives  this  as 
his  opinion  of  Sir  Isaac  Newton  and  Lord  Verulam, 
that  they  were  both  very  great  men,  but  still  they 
both  had  certain  foibles,  by  which  they  made  it 
known  that  they  were  mortal  men,  whereas  had  he 
been  blessed  with  such  a  genius,  he  would  have 
made  the  world  believe  that  he  was  immortal,  as 
both  Enos  and  Elias  had  done  long  ago.  He  talks 
much  of  cutting  the  American  isthmus  in  two,  so  to 
make  a  short  passage  to  the  south  seas,  and  if  the 
powers  of  Europe  cannot  agree  about  it  he  says  he 
knows  how  to  make  a  machine  with  little  expense, 
by  the  help  of  which  ships  may  be  dragged  over  that 
narrow  neck  of  land  with  all  the  ease  imaginable, 
it  being  but  a  trifle  of  lOO  miles,  and  so  we  may  go 
to  the  East  Indies,  a  much  easier  and  shorter  way 
than  doubling  the  Cape  of  Good  Hope.  He  has  a 
familiar  phrase,  which  is,  "very  welcome,  sir,"  and 
"very  welcome,  gentlemen,"  which  he  pronounces 
with  a  solemn  sound,  as  often  as  people  come  in  or 
go  out. 

I  dined  with  Captain  Williams  and  at  six  o'clock 

189 


went  again  to  the  coffee-house.  At  seven  we  called 
upon  some  ladies  in  town,  and  made  an  appointment 
for  a  promenade.  In  the  meantime  Dr.  Keith  and 
I  went  to  the  prison,  and  there  had  some  conversa- 
tion with  a  French  gentleman,  a  prisoner,  and  with 
one  Judge  Pemberton,*  a  man  of  good  learning  and 
sense.  While  we  were  there  one  Captain  Bull  ^ 
called  in,  who  seemed  to  be  a  droll  old  man.  He 
entertained  us  for  half  an  hour  with  comical  stories 
and  dry  jokes.  At  eight  o'clock  we  waited  on  the 
ladies,  and  with  them  walked  a  little  way  out  of 
town  to  a  place  called  the  Little  Rock.  Our  prome- 
nade continued  two  hours,  and  they  entertained  us 
with  several  songs.  We  enjoyed  all  the  pleasures 
of  gallantry  without  transgressing  the  rules  of  mod- 
esty or  good  manners.  There  were  six  in  company 
at  this  promenade;  viz.,  three  dames  and  three  gal- 
lants. The  belle  who  fell  to  my  lot  pleased  me  ex- 
ceedingly, both  in  looks  and  conversation.  Her 
name  was  Miss  Clerk,^  daughter  to  a  merchant  in 
town.  After  a  parting  salute,  according  to  the 
mode  of  the  place,  I  with  reluctance  bid  the  ladies 
farewell,  expressing  some  regret  that  being  a 
stranger  in  their  town,  and  obliged  soon  to  leave  it, 
I  should  perhaps  never  have  the  happy  opportunity 
of  their  agreeable  company  again.  They  returned 
their  good  wishes  for  my  compliment,  so  I  went  to 
my  lodging,  and,  after  some  learned  chat  with  my 
landlady  concerning  the  apothecary's  craft,  I  went 
to  bed. 

1  Samuel  Pemberton,  merchant  in  Boston;  went  to  Newport  in  1741 
and  served  as  admiralty  judge  for  one  year  to  the  dissatisfaction  of  those 
concerned;  died  1 775. 

2  Perhaps  Henry  Bull,  who  in  1751  was  opposed  to  paper  money. 

3  Miss  Clark  cannot  be  identified  among  the  numerous  Clarks  of  New- 
port. 

190 


Thursday  J  August  2^d.— It  rained  hard  all  this 
morning,  and  therefore  I  stayed  at  home  till  twelve 
o'clock.  Mr.  Moffatt  came  to  breakfast  with  me, 
and  he  and  I  went  to  the  coffee-house  betwixt 
twelve  and  one.  We  saw  there  some  Spaniards 
that  had  been  taken  in  the  snow  prize.  One  of 
them  was  a  very  handsome  man  and  well  behaved ; 
none  of  that  stiffness  and  solemnity  about  him  com- 
monly ascribed  to  their  nation,  but  perfectly  free 
and  easy  in  his  behaviour,  rather  bordering  upon 
the  French  vivacity.  His  name  was  Don  Manuel 
(I  don't  know  what).  He  spoke  good  French  and 
Latin,  and  ran  out  very  much  in  praise  of  the  place, 
the  civility  and  humanity  of  the  people,  and  the 
charms  of  the  ladies. 

I  dined  at  Mr.  Grant's,  and  went  with  Dr.  Mof- 
fatt  in  the  afternoon  to  visit  Dr.  Brett,  where  we 
had  a  deal  of  learned  discourse  about  microscopical 
experiments,  and  the  order,  elegance,  and  uniform- 
ity of  Nature  in  the  texture  of  all  bodies,  both  ani- 
mate and  inanimate.  I  spent  the  evening  at  Dr. 
Moffatt's  lodging,  along  with  Mr.  Wanthon,^  the 
collector,  and  Mr.  Grant,  a  young  gentleman  of  the 
place,  and  Dr.  Brett,  and  returned  to  my  lodging  at 
ten  o'clock. 

I  found  the  people  in  Newport  very  civil  and 
courteous  in  their  way.  I  had  several  invitations 
to  houses  in  town,  all  of  which  because  of  my  short 
stay  I  could  not  accept  of.  They  carry  on  a  good 
trade  in  this  place  in  time  of  peace,  and  build  a  great 
many  vessels.  The  island  is  famous  for  making 
of  good  cheeses,  but  I  think  those  made  in  the  Jer- 

1  Gideon  Wanton,  born  1693;  general  treasurer  of  Rhode  Island  1733 
to  1743;  governor  1745  and  1747;  died  1767 


191 


seys  as  good,  if  not  preferable.  In  time  of  war  this 
place  is  noted  for  privateering,  which  business  they 
carry  on  with  great  vigour  and  alacrity.  The 
island  has  fitted  out  now  thirteen  or  fourteen  pri- 
vateers, and  is  daily  equipping  more. 

While  I  stayed  in  this  place  they  sent  in  several 
valuable  prizes,  but,  notwithstanding  this  warlike 
apparatus  abroad,  they  are  but  very  sorrily  fortified 
at  home.  The  rocks  in  their  harbour  are  the  best 
security;  for  the  fort,  which  stands  upon  an  island, 
about  a  mile  from  the  town,  is  the  futilest  thing  of 
that  nature  ever  I  saw.  It  is  a  building  of  near  200 
feet  square,  of  stone  and  brick,  the  wall  being  about 
fifteen  feet  high,  with  a  bastion  and  watch-tower  on 
each  corner,  but  so  exposed  to  cannon  shot  that  it 
could  be  battered  about  their  ears  in  ten  minutes. 
A  little  distance  from  this  fort  is  a  battery  of  seven- 
teen or  eighteen  great  guns. 

They  are  not  so  strait-laced  in  religion  here  as  in 
the  other  parts  of  New  England.  They  have 
among  them  a  great  number  of  Quakers.  The 
island  is  the  most  delightful  spot  of  ground  I  have 
seen  in  America.  I  can  compare  it  to  nothing  but 
one  entire  garden.  For  rural  scenes  and  pretty, 
frank  girls,  I  found  it  the  most  agreeable  place  I 
had  been  in  thro'  all  my  peregrinations. 

I  am  sorry  to  say  that  the  people  in  their  dealings 
one  with  another,  and  even  with  strangers  in  mat- 
ters of  truck  or  bargain,  have  as  bad  a  character  for 
chicane  and  disingenuity  as  any  of  our  American 
Colonies.  Their  government  is  somewhat  demo- 
cratick,  the  people  choosing  their  Governour  from 
among  their  own  number  every  year  by  poll  votes. 


192 


^nrt/t^x/  frw«y  jL^iti^  J  'TSA^  Ott^  V<>i/<^  t»tu.e^  u^jX- 

^t^,  ^ O-ct^^ 
hjuoum,  0^    8^uJ23  »  nM^H^  n^l£€.  PtZX^ 

i/^A.^  Pt:^^^ 


^oU^ilJjk^^  ^^^^  ^^^tj^ 
IH  *^  ^  ^  f^f^  Hzi, 


One  Mr.  Green  ^  is  now  Governour;  the  House  of 
Assembly  chooses  the  Council.  They  have  but  little 
regard  to  the  laws  of  England,  their  mother  coun- 
try, tho'  they  pretend  to  take  that  constitution  for  a 
precedent. 

Collectors  and  naval  officers  here  are  a  kind  of 
ciphers.  They  dare  not  exercise  their  office  for 
fear  of  the  fury  and  unruliness  of  the  people,  but 
their  places  are  profitable,  upon  account  of  the  pres- 
ents they  receive  for  every  cargo  of  run  goods. 
This  Colony  separated  itself  from  New  England, 
and  was  formed  into  a  different  government  thro' 
some  religious  quarrel  that  happened  betwixt  them. 
It  is  customary  here  to  adorn  their  chimney  panels 
with  birds'  wings,  peacock  feathers,  and  butterflies. 

Friday,  August  24th. — Going  to  breakfast  this  morn- 
ing I  found  a  stranger  with  Mrs.  Leech,  who  in  six- 
teen days  had  come  from  Maryland,  and  had  been 
there  about  some  business  relating  to  iron  works. 
When  I  came  into  the  room  he  asked  Mrs.  Leech  if 
this  was  the  gentleman  that  came  from  Maryland. 
She  replied  yes ;  then  turning  to  me  he  acquainted 
me  that  he  had  lately  been  there,  and  had  seen  sev- 
eral people  whom  he  supposed  I  knew,  but  he  was 
fain  to  leave  the  place  in  a  hurry,  the  agues  and 
fevers  beginning  to  be  very  frequent.  He  gave  me 
an  account  of  his  having  seen  some  of  my  acquaint- 
ances well  at  Joppa.  I  was  glad  to  hear  good  news 
from  home,  it  being  now  above  three  months  since 
I  had  any  intelligence  from  there. 

1  William  Greene,  born  1695;  Governor  of  Rhode  Island  1743  to  his 
death  in  1758. 


I  called  at  Dr.  Moffatt's  after  breakfast,  who  en- 
tertained me  for  half  an  hour  with  his  sun  micro- 
scope, which  is  a  very  curious  apparatus,  and  not 
only  magnifies  the  object  incredibly,  upon  the  mov- 
able screen,  but  affords  a  beautiful  variety  and  sur- 
prising intermixture  of  colours.  He  showed  me  a 
small  spider,  the  down  of  a  moth's  wing,  the  down 
of  feathers,  and  a  fly's  eye,  in  all  of  which  objects 
Nature's  uniformity  and  beautiful  design,  in  the 
most  minute  parts  of  her  work,  appeared.  The 
doctor  walked  to  the  ferry  landing  with  me,  and 
there  we  took  leave  of  one  another. 


CoNNANicuT  Ferry— Narragansett  Ferry- 
Kingstown 

I  HAD  a  tedious  passage  to  Connanicut.  It  being 
quite  calm  we  were  obliged  to  row  most  of  the  way. 
Our  passage  was  more  expeditious  over  Narragan- 
sett Ferry,  and  there  I  had  the  company  of  a  Rhode 
Islander  all  the  way  to  Kingstown,  where  I  dined 
at  Case's  in  the  company  of  some  majors  and  cap- 
tains, it  being  a  training  day.  Betwixt  Case's  and 
Hill's  I  was  overtaken  by  a  gentleman  of  consider- 
able fortune  here.  He  has  a  large  house  close  upon 
the  road,  and  is  possessor  of  a  very  large  farm, 
where  he  milks  daily  104  cows,  and  has  besides  a 
vast  stock  of  other  cattle.  He  invited  me  into  his 
house,  but  I  thanked  him  and  proceeded,  the  sun 
being  low. 

I  put  up  at  Hill's  about  sunset,  and  inquired  there 
at  the  landlord  concerning  this  gentleman.  Hill 
informed  me  that  he  was  a  man  of  great  estate,  but 


194 


of  base  character,  for  being  constituted  one  of  the 
committee  for  signing  the  public  bills  of  credit,  he 
had  counterfeited  50,000  pounds  of  false  bills,  and 
made  his  brethren  of  the  committee  sign  them,  and 
then  counterfeited  their  names  to  50,000  pounds  of 
genuine  bills,  which  the  government  had  then  is- 
sued. This  piece  of  villany  being  detected  the 
whole  100,000  pounds  was  called  in  by  the  Govern- 
ment and  he  fined  in  30,000  pounds  to  save  his  ears. 
But  I  think  the  fate  of  such  a  wealthy  villain  should 
have  been  the  gallows,  and  his  whole  estate  should 
have  gone  to  repair  the  publick  damage.^ 

As  one  rides  along  the  road  in  this  part  of  the 
country,  there  are  whole  hedges  of  barberries. 

Saturday,  August  25th.— 1  set  off  at  seven  o'clock 
from  Hill's,  and  it  being  a  thick  mist  I  had  a  dull 
solitary  ride  to  Thomson's,  where  I  breakfasted, 
being  overtaken  by  a  Seventh-day  man  going  to 
meeting.  Thankful,  a  jolly,  buxom  girl,  the  land- 
lady's daughter,  made  me  some  chocolate,  for  which 
I  did  not  thank  her,  it  being  sorry  stuff.  I  departed 
from  there  a  little  after  ten,  in  the  company  of  some 
Seventh-day  men  going  to  meeting. 

Connecticut  Government—  Stonington 

In  this  government  of  Rhode  Island  and  Provi- 
dence, you  may  travel  without  molestation  upon 
Sunday,  which  you  cannot  do  in  Connecticut  or  the 
Massachusetts  Province  without  a  pass,  because  here 
they  are  not  agreed  what  day  of  the  week  the  sab- 
bath is  to  be  kept,  some  observing  it  upon  Saturday 
and  others  upon  Sunday. 

1  This  was  Silas  Greenman,  member  of  the  Rhode  Island  Assembly  in  1716. 


I  dined  at  Williams's  at  Stonington  with  a  Boston 
merchant  named  Gardiner,  and  one  Boyd,  a  Scotch 
Irish  peddler.  The  peddler  seemed  to  understand 
his  business  to  a  hair.  He  sold  some  dear  bargains 
to  Mrs.  Williams,  and  while  he  smoothed  her  up 
with  palaver  the  Bostoner  amused  her  with  re- 
ligious cant.  This  peddler  told  me  he  had  been 
some  time  ago  at  Annapolis,  at  some  horse  races, 
and  inquired  after  some  people  there.    He  gave  me 

a  description  of  B  ie  M  1,  whose  lodger  he 

had  been,  and  gave  me  a  piece  of  secret  history 

concerning  P  1  R  the  Portuguese,  and 

N  y  H  y,  how  they  passed  for  man  and  wife 

when  they  were  in  Philadelphia  and  the  neighbour- 
hood of  that  city.  Our  conversation  at  dinner  was  a 
medley.  Gardiner  afifected  much  learning  and  the 
peddler  talked  of  trade. 


New  London  Ferry— New  London 

I  LEFT  Williams's  about  half  an  hour  after  three, 
and  crossing  the  ferry  a  little  after  five  o'clock,  I 
arrived  at  New  London  and  put  up  at  Duchand's, 
at  the  sign  of  the  Anchor.  I  did  not  know  till  now 
that  I  had  any  relations  in  this  town.  A  parcel  of 
children,  as  I  rid  up  the  lane,  saluted  me  with  "How 
d'ye,  uncle?    Welcome  to  town,  uncle." 

Sunday,  August  26th.— 1  stayed  at  home  most  of 
the  forenoon,  and  was  invited  to  dine  with  Collector 
Lechmere,  son  to  the  surveyor  at  Boston.  There 
was  at  table  there  one  Dr.  Goddard  and  an  old  maid, 

1  Paul  Ruiz. 


196 


9XA'^<^o>v  -^fv^    C^oi'^^Ji^  O^Vu^  j{.aJ^^^  CL  {^^r^^yf-  

(L^ccjlJt /^^-^^^  ^^.^t  ^^Z^^--' 


lU.  A  pl^^Jy  ..^.^^   ^dA  ^^ ^^crni 

<^   0.  erf  o-CS-  ryj<^  env^^iA^  ^jj^ 

f^Un^    ^e^r^  ^ ^^.x^^^R^^ 

<n^,  yALA  ^  h  ^  5^.iL^  a., 

r^iUj  f^^K^,  ^      ^ji^-  ^  ^^^^ 


whom  they  called  Miss  Katy,  being  a  great  fat 
woman  with  a  red  face,  as  much  like  an  old  maid 
as  a  frying-pan.  There  sat  by  her  a  young  modest- 
looking  lady,  dressed  in  black,  whom  Mr.  Lechmere 
called  Miss  Nancy,  and  next  her,  a  walnut-coloured 
thin  woman,  sluttishly  dressed,  and  very  hard  fa- 
voured. These  ladies  went  to  meeting  after  dinner, 
and  we  three  sat  drinking  of  punch,  and  telling  of 
droll  stories. 

I  went  home  at  six  o'clock,  and  Deacon  Green's 
son  came  to  see  me.  He  entertained  me  with  the 
history  of  the  behaviour  of  one  Davenport,^  a  fanat- 
ick  preacher  there,  who  told  his  flock  in  one  of  his 
enthusiastic  rhapsodies,  that  in  order  to  be  saved 
they  ought  to  burn  all  their  idols.  They  began  this 
conflagration  with  a  pile  of  books  in  the  publick 
street,  among  which  were  Tillotson's  Sermons,  Bev- 
eridge's  Thoughts,  Drillincourt  on  Death,  Sherlock, 
and  many  other  excellent  authors,  and  sang  psalms 
and  hymns  over  the  pile  while  it  was  a-burning. 
They  did  not  stop  here,  but  the  women  made  up  a 
lofty  pile  of  hoop  petticoats,  silk  gowns,  short 
cloaks,  cambrick  caps,  red-heeled  shoes,  fans,  neck- 
laces, gloves,  and  other  such  apparel,  and,  what 
was  merry  enough,  Davenport's  own  idol,  with 
which  he  topped  the  pile,  was  a  pair  of  old  wore-out 
plush  breeches,  but  this  bonfire  was  happily  pre- 
vented by  one  more  moderate  than  the  rest,  who 
found  means  to  persuade  them  that  making  such  a 
sacrifice  was  not  necessary  for  their  salvation,  and 
so  every  one  carried  off  their  idols  again,  which  was 
lucky  for  Davenport  .  .  .,  for  the  devil  another 
pair  of  breeches  had  he  but  these  same  old  plush 

1  Rev.  James  Davenport,  a  noted  preacher  of  the  "  New  Lights." 


197 


ones  which  were  going  to  be  offered  up  as  an  ex- 
piatory sacrifice.  Mr.  Green  took  his  leave  of  me 
at  ten  o'clock,  and  I  went  to  bed. 

Monday,  A  ugust  2yth. — After  visiting  Deacon  Green 
this  morning,  and  drinking  tea  with  him  and  wife, 
he  gave  me  a  packet  for  his  son  Jonas  at  Annapolis. 
The  old  man  was  very  inquisitive  about  the  state  of 
religion  with  us,  what  kind  of  ministers  we  had,  and 
if  the  people  were  much  addicted  to  godliness.  I 
told  him  that  the  ministers  minded  hogsheads  of 
tobacco  more  than  points  of  doctrine,  either  ortho- 
dox or  heterodox,  and  that  the  people  were  very 
prone  to  a  certain  religion  called  self-interest. 

Hantick  Ferry 

I  LEFT  New  London  betwixt  eight  and  nine  o'clock 
in  the  morning,  and  crossed  Hantick  Ferry  ^  or  the 
Gut,  a  little  before  ten.  This  is  an  odd  kind  of  a 
ferry,  the  passage  across  it  not  being  above  fifty 
paces  wide,  and  yet  the  inlet  of  water  here  from 
the  Sound  is  near  three-quarters  of  a  mile  broad. 
This  is  occasioned  by  a  long  narrow  point  or  prom- 
ontory of  hard  sand  and  rock,  at  its  broadest  part 
not  above  twelve  paces  over,  which  runs  out  from 
the  western  towards  the  eastern  shore  of  this  inlet, 
and  is  above  half  a  mile  long,  so  leaves  but  a  small 
gut,  where  the  tide  runs  very  rapid  and  fierce.  The 
scow  that  crosses  here  goes  by  a  rope,  which  is  fixed 
to  a  stake  at  each  side  of  the  gut,  and  the  scow  is 
fastened  to  the  main  rope  by  an  iron  ring,  which 

1  Niantic. 


198 


slides  upon  it,  else  the  rapidity  of  the  tide  would 
carry  scow  and  passengers  and  all  away. 

Nantique,  an  Indian  Town 

A  LITTLE  after  I  passed  this  ferry  I  rid  close  by  an 
Indian  town  upon  the  left  hand  situated  upon  the 
brow  of  a  hill.  This  town  is  called  Nantique/  and 
consists  of  thirteen  or  fourteen  huts  or  wigwams 
made  of  bark. 


Toll-bridge— Connecticut  River 

I  PASSED  over  a  bridge  in  very  bad  repair,  for  which 
I  paid  eightpence  toll,  which  here  is  something 
more  than  a  penny  farthing  sterling,  and  coming 
down  to  Seabrook  Ferry  upon  Connecticut  River,  I 
waited  there  three  or  four  hours,  at  the  house  of  one 
Mather,  before  I  could  get  passage.  The  wind 
blew  hard  at  northwest  with  an  ebb  tide,  which  the 
ferrymen  told  me  would  have  carried  us  out  into 
the  Sound  had  we  attempted  to  pass. 

Mather  and  I  had  some  talk  about  the  opinions 
lately  broached  here  in  religion.  He  seemed  a  man 
of  some  solidity  and  sense,  and  condemned  White- 
field's  conduct  in  these  parts  very  much.  After 
dinner  there  came  in  a  rabble  of  clowns,  who  fell  to 
disputing  upon  points  of  divinity  as  learnedly  as  if 
they  had  been  professed  theologues.  'T  is  strange 
to  see  how  this  humour  prevails,  even  among  the 
lower  class  of  the  people  here.    They  will  talk  so 

1  Nantic. 


199 


pointedly  about  justification,  sanctification,  adop- 
tion, regeneration,  repentance,  free  grace,  repro- 
bation, original  sin,  and  a  thousand  other  such 
pretty  chimerical  knickknacks,  as  if  they  had  done 
nothing  but  studied  divinity  all  their  lifetime,  and 
perused  all  the  lumber  of  the  scholastic  divines,  and 
yet  the  fellows  look  as  much,  or  rather  more  like 
clowns,  than  the  very  riffraflf  of  our  Maryland 
planters.  To  talk  in  this  dialect  in  our  parts  would 
be  like  Greek,  Hebrew,  or  Arabick. 

I  met  with  an  old  paralytic  man  in  this  house, 
named  Henderson,  who  let  me  know  that  he  had 
travelled  the  world  in  his  youthful  days  and  had 
been  in  Scotland,  and  lived  some  years  in  Edin- 
burgh. He  condemned  much  the  conduct  of  the 
late  enthusiasts  here,  by  which  he  put  some  of  our 
clowns  in  company  in  a  fret,  but  the  old  man  re- 
garded them  not,  going  on  with  his  discourse, 
smoking  his  pipe,  and  shaking  his  gray  locks.  I 
was  very  much  taken  with  his  conversation,  and  he 
seemingly  with  mine,  for  he  gave  me  many  a  hearty 
shake  by  the  hand  at  parting,  and  wished  me  much 
prosperity,  health,  and  a  safe  return  home. 


Seabrook  Ferry— Seabrook 

I  CROSSED  the  ferry  at  five  o'clock.  This  river  of 
Connecticut  is  navigable  for  fifty  miles  up  the  coun- 
try. Upon  it  are  a  good  many  large  trading  towns, 
but  the  branches  of  the  river  run  up  above  two  hun- 
dred miles. 

W e  could  see  the  town,  of  Seabrook  ^  below  us  on 

1  Saybrook. 


200 


the  western  side  of  the  river.  I  lodged  this  night 
at  one  Mrs.  Lay's,  a  widow  woman,  who  keeps  a 
good  house  upon  the  road,  about  six  miles  from 
Seabrook.  I  had  much  difficulty  to  find  the  roads 
upon  this  side  Connecticut  River.  They  wind  and 
turn  so  much,  and  are  divided  into  such  a  number 
of  small  paths. 

I  find  they  are  not  quite  so  scrupulous  about  be- 
stowing titles  here  as  in  Maryland.  My  landlady 
goes  here  by  the  name  of  Madam  Lay.  I  cannot 
tell  for  what,  for  she  is  the  homeliest  piece  both  as 
to  mien,  make,  and  dress  that  ever  I  saw,  being  a 
little  round-shouldered  woman,  pale-faced  and 
wrinkly,  clothed  in  the  coarsest  homespun  cloth; 
but  it  is  needless  to  dispute  her  right  to  the  title, 
since  we  know  many  upon  whom  it  is  bestowed  who 
have  as  little  right  as  she. 

Tuesday,  August  28th.— 1  departed  Lay's  at  seven 
in  the  morning,  and  rid  some  miles  thro'  a  rocky 
high  land,  the  wind  blowing  pretty  sharp  and  cool 
at  northwest. 


KiLLINGSWORTH 

A  LITTLE  after  eight  o'clock,  I  passed  thro'  Killings- 
worth,  a  small  town,  pleasantly  situated.  I  break- 
fasted at  one  Scran's,  about  half  way  betwixt  Kill- 
ingsworth  and  Gilford.  This  is  a  jolly  old  man, 
very  fat  and  pursy,  and  very  talkative  and  full  of 
history.  He  had  been  an  American  soldier  in 
Queen  Anne's  war,  and  had  travelled  thro'  most  of 
the  continent  of  North  America.    Lie  inquired  of 

201 


me  if  poor  Dick  of  Noye  was  alive,  which  question 
I  had  frequently  put  to  me  in  my  travels. 

Gilford 

Going  from  this  house,  I  passed  thro'  Gilford  at 
eleven  o'clock  in  company  of  an  old  man,  whom  I 
overtook  upon  the  road.  He  showed  me  a  curious 
stone  bridge,  within  a  quarter  of  a  mile  of  this  town. 
It  lay  over  a  small  brook,  and  was  one  entire  stone 
about  ten  feet  long,  six  broad,  and  eight  or  ten 
inches  thick,  being  naturally  bent  in  the  form  of 
an  arch,  without  the  help  of  a  chisel  to  cut  it  into 
that  shape.  "Observe  here,  sir,"  says  the  old  man, 
"you  may  ride  i,ooo  miles  and  not  meet  with  such 
a  stone."  Gilford  is  a  pretty  town,  built  upon  a 
pleasant  plain.  In  it  there  is  a  meeting,  upon  the 
steeple  of  which  is  a  publick  clock. 

Branford 

I  CAME  to  Branford,  another  scattered  town,  built 
upon  high  rocky  ground,  a  little  after  one  o'clock, 
where  I  dined  at  the  house  of  one  Frazer.  Going 
from  thence  I  passed  thro'  a  pleasant,  delightful 
part  of  the  country,  being  a  medley  of  fine  green 
plains,  and  little  rocky  and  woody  hills,  caped  over 
as  it  were  with  bushes. 

Newhaven  Ferry— Newhaven 

I  crossed  Newhaven  Ferry  betwixt  four  and  five 
o'clock  in  the  afternoon.    This  is  a  pleasant  navi- 


202 


(La^-t/U     QjeJL^yUt/r^    ^   ^    ^~    ^  ^ 


f^^^    oirt^  &<v^  <5w9  j^<.ci>t^_>  yxr-S-A^  u,<r%\  f^^^etA^ 


-LOO  /^od>^,  (vva- /fet^y^:^;^ 

fi^\yU/nJr€r   (yj'^  ^tiiS^^/nlb~j  'J^  A^OX^  ^tijL^  Cl  ^/»^~ 

X4  ^yyi'^\jyrili^jiyn/^        /fe<^(^K.ef^^L#->^  "ZtAe^  fUj^n^^  6-^^ 
liuL-Y^'    C^^^^y*^-    (j^r^-rx/^   Qir^ruM^   9J  ftZm^^^ff-^ ca.'ci>i^ 
(T^  y!?»-VM-€-  'J^^rv-yt^    td^Suoi^  ^  ^»-e_^J^t-^6cA^4^,^'^ 


gable  river  that  runs  thro'  a  spacious  green  plain 
into  the  Sound. 

I  arrived  in  Newhaven  at  five  o'clock,  where  I 
put  up  at  one  Monson's  at  sign  of  Half-moon. 
There  is  but  little  good  liquor  to  be  had  in  the  pub- 
lick  houses  upon  this  road.  A  man's  horses  are 
better  provided  for  than  himself,  but  he  pays  dear 
for  it.  The  publick-house  keepers  seem  to  be  some- 
what wild  and  shy  when  a  stranger  calls.  It  is 
with  difficulty  you  can  get  them  to  speak  to  you, 
show  you  a  room,  or  ask  you  what  you  would  have, 
but  they  will  gape  and  stare  when  you  speak,  as  if 
they  were  quite  astonished.  Newhaven  is  a  pretty 
large,  scattered  town,  laid  out  in  squares,  much  in 
the  same  manner  as  Philadelphia,  but  the  houses 
are  sparse  and  thin  sown.  It  stands  on  a  large 
plain,  and  upon  all  sides  (excepting  the  south,  which 
faces  the  Sound)  it  is  enclosed  with  ranges  of  little 
hills,  as  old  Jerusalem  was,  according  to  the  topo- 
graphical descriptions  of  that  city.  The  burying- 
place  is  in  the  center  of  the  town,  just  facing  the 
college,^  which  is  a  wooden  building  about  200  feet 
long,  and  three  stories  high,  in  the  middle  front  of 
which  is  a  little  cupola,  with  a  clock  upon  it.  It  is 
not  so  good  a  building  as  that  at  Cambridge,  nor 
are  there  such  a  number  of  students.  It  was  the 
gift  of  a  private  gentleman  to  this  place. 

MiLLFORD 

Wednesday,  August  2gth.—l  set  out  from  Mon- 
son's a  little  after  seven  o'clock,  and  rid  a  tolerable 

1  Yale  College,  founded  at  Saybrook  in  1700,  removed  to  New  Haven, 
called  Yale  College  1718. 


203 


good  road  to  Millford.  Before  I  came  there  I  was 
overtaken  by  a  young  man,  who  asked  me  several 
questions,  according  to  country  custom,— such  as 
where  I  was  going  and  whence  I  came,  and  the  hke. 
To  all  which  I  gave  answers  just  as  impertinent  as 
the  questions  were  themselves.  I  breakfasted  in 
Millford  at  one  Gibbs's,  and  while  I  was  there,  the 
post  arrived,  so  that  there  came  great  crowds  of  the 
politicians  of  the  town  to  read  the  news,  and  we 
had  plenty  of  orthographical  blunders.  We  heard 
of  some  prizes  taken  by  the  Philadelphia  privateers. 
Millford  is  a  large  scattered  town,  situated  upon  a 
large  pleasant  plain. 

Stratford  Ferry— Stratford 

I  went  from  here  in  company  of  a  young  man,  and 
crossed  Stratford  Ferry  at  eleven  o'clock,  and  was 
obliged  to  call  at  Stratford,  my  gray  horse  having 
lost  a  shoe.  I  stayed  there  some  time  at  one  Benja- 
min's, who  keeps  a  tavern  in  the  town.  There  I 
met  a  deal  of  company,  and  had  many  questions 
asked  me.  Stratford  is  a  pleasant  little  town,  pret- 
tily situated  upon  a  rising  ground,  within  half  a 
mile  of  a  navigable  river  that  runs  into  the  Sound. 
In  this  town  is  one  Presbyterian  meeting,  and  one 
church,  both  new  buildings.  The  church  is  built 
with  some  taste  and  elegance,  having  large  arched 
sash  windows,  and  a  handsome  spire  or  steeple  at 
the  west  end  of  it. 

Fairfield 

My  young  man  rid  with  me  till  I  came  within  five 
miles  of  Fairfield,  which  is  another  town  in  which 


204 


is  an  octagonal  church  or  meeting  built  of  wood, 
like  that  of  Jamaica  upon  Long  Island,  upon  the 
cupola  of  which  is  a  publick  clock.  The  roads  be- 
tween this  town  and  Norwalk  are  exceeding  rough 
and  stony,  and  the  stones  are  very  full  of  glittering 
isinglass.  There  is  a  river  on  the  west  side  of  this 
town,  which  runs  into  the  Sound.  I  forded  it  at 
high  water,  when  pretty  deep. 

Sagatick  River 

Within  three  miles  and  a  half  of  Norwalk  is  an- 
other river,  called  by  the  Indian  name  of  Sagatick. 
This  I  forded  at  low  tide.  I  dined  at  one  Taylor's 
here.  My  landlord  was  an  old  man  of  seventy. 
Understanding  from  my  boy  that  I  was  a  doctor 
from  Maryland,  and  having  heard  that  some  of  the 
doctors  there  were  wonder-workers  in  practice,  he 
asked  my  advice  about  a  cancer  which  he  had  in  his 
lip.  I  told  him  there  was  one  Bouchelle  in  Mary- 
land who  pretended  to  cure  every  disease  by  the 
help  of  a  certain  water  which  he  had  made,  but  as 
for  my  part  I  knew  no  way  of  curing  a  cancer  but 
by  extirpation  or  cutting  it  out. 

Norwalk 

I  ARRIVED  at  Norwalk  at  seven  o'clock  at  night. 
This  town  is  situated  in  a  bottom,  midst  a  grove  of 
trees.  You  see  the  steeple  shoot  up  among  the 
trees  about  half  a  mile  before  you  enter  the  town 
and  before  you  can  see  any  of  the  houses. 

While  I  was  at  Taylor's  the  children  were  fright- 
ened at  my  negro.    Slaves  are  not  so  much  in  use 


205 


as  with  us,  their  servants  being  chiefly  bound  or 
indentured  Indians.  The  child  asked  if  that  negro 
was  a-coming  to  eat  them  up.  Dromo  indeed  wore 
a  voracious  phiz,  for,  having  rid  twenty  miles  with- 
out eating,  he  grinned  like  a  crocodile,  and  showed 
his  teeth  most  hideously. 

Betwixt  Taylor's  and  Norwalk,  I  met  a  caravan 
of  eighteen  or  twenty  Indians.  I  put  up  at  Nor- 
walk at  one  Beelding's,  and  as  my  boy  was  taking 
off  the  saddles,  I  could  see  one  half  of  the  town 
standing  about  him,  making  inquiry  about  his  mas- 
ter. 

I  was  disturbed  this  night  by  a  parcel  of  roaring 
fellows,  that  came  rumbling  upstairs  to  go  to  bed 
in  the  next  room.  They  beat  the  walls  with  their 
elbows,  as  if  they  had  a  mind  to  batter  down  the 
house,  being  inspired,  I  suppose,  by  the  great  god 
Bacchus.  A  certain  horse-jockey  in  the  company 
had  a  voice  as  strong  as  a  trumpet,  and  Stentor- 
like  he  made  the  house  ring.  "Damn  me,"  says  he, 
"if  you  or  any  man  shall  have  the  jade  for  lOO 
peaunds.  The  jade  is  as  good  a  jade  as  ever  wore 
curb."  (It  is  customary  here  to  call  both  horses 
and  mares  by  the  name  of  jades.)  I  wished  him 
and  his  jade  both  once  and  again  at  the  devil  for 
disturbing  my  rest,  for,  just  as  I  was  a-dropping 
asleep  again  he  uttered  some  impertinence  with  his 
Stentorian  voice,  which  made  me  start  and  waked 
me.  My  rest  was  broken  all  that  night,  and  wak- 
ing suddenly  from  a  confused  dream  about  my 
horse  dropping  dead  under  me  in  the  road,  I  imag- 
ined I  heard  somebody  breathe  very  high  in  the  bed 
by  me.  I  thought  perhaps  that  my  friend  Stentor 
had  thought  fit  to  come  there,  and  felt  about  with 

206 


my  arms,  but  could  discover  nothing  but  the  bed 
clothes,  tho'  the  sound  continued  very  distinct  in 
my  ears  for  about  a  minute  after  I  was  broad  awake, 
and  then  it  died  away  by  degrees.  This,  with  some 
people,  would  have  procured  the  house  a  bad  name 
of  its  being  haunted  with  spirits. 

Stanford 

Thursday,  August  ^oth. — I  left  Nor  walk  at  seven  in 
the  morning,  and  rid  ten  miles  of  stony  road,  cross- 
ing several  brooks  and  rivulets  that  run  into  the 
Sound,  till  I  came  to  Stanford.^  A  little  before  I 
reached  this  town,  from  the  top  of  a  stony  hill  I 
had  a  large  open  view  or  prospect  of  the  country 
westward.  The  greatest  part  of  it  seemed,  as  it 
were,  covered  with  a  white  crust  of  stone,  for  the 
country  here  is  exceedingly  rocky,  and  the  roads 
very  rough,  rather  worse  than  Stonington.  I 
breakfasted  at  Stanford  at  one  Ebenezer  Weak's. 
In  this  town  I  saw  a  new  church,  which  is  now 
a-building,  the  steeple  of  which  was  no  sooner  fin- 
ished than  it  was  all  tore  to  pieces  by  lightning  in  a 
terrible  thunder-storm  that  happened  here  upon  the 
first  day  of  August  in  the  afternoon.  I  observed 
the  rafters  of  the  steeple  split  from  top  to  bottom 
and  the  wooden  pins  or  trunnels  that  fastened  the 
joints  half  drawn  out. 

While  I  was  at  breakfast  at  Weak's,  there  came 
in  a  crazy  old  man,  who  complained  much  of  the 
hardness  of  the  times  and  of  pains  in  his  back  and 
belly.    "Lackaday  for  poor  old  Joseph!"  said  the 

1  Stamford. 


207 


landlady.  A  little  after  him  came  in  one  Captain 
Lyon,  living  at  Rye  Bridge.  He  wore  an  affected 
air  of  wisdom  in  his  phiz,  and  pretended  to  be  a  very 
knowing  man  in  the  affairs  of  the  world.  He  said 
he  had  travelled  the  whole  world  over  in  his  fancy, 
and  would  fain  have  persuaded  us  that  he  under- 
stood the  history  of  mankind  completely.  Most  of 
his  knowledge  was  pedantry,  being  made  up  of 
commonplace  sentences  and  trite  proverbs.  I  asked 
him  if  I  should  have  his  company  down  the  road. 
He  replied  that  he  would  be  glad  to  wait  on  me, 
but  had  an  appointment  to  eat  some  roast  pig 
with  a  neighbour  of  his,  which  would  detain  him 
till  the  afternoon.  So  I  departed  the  town  without 
him. 

I  rode  a  stony  and  hilly  road  to  Horseneck,  and 
overtook  an  old  man  who  rid  a  sorrel  mare,  with  a 
colt  following  her.  He  told  me  he  was  obliged  to 
ride  slow  for  fear  of  losing  the  colt,  for  sometimes 
the  creature  strayed  behind,  meeting  with  jades 
upon  the  way.  He  said  he  had  been  travelling  the 
country  for  three  weeks,  visiting  his  children  and 
grandchildren,  who  were  settled  for  fifty  miles 
round  him.  He  told  me  he  had  had  twenty-one 
sons  and  daughters,  of  whom  nineteen  were  now 
alive,  and  fifteen  of  them  married  and  had  children; 
and  yet  he  himself  did  not  marry  till  twenty-seven 
years  of  age,  and  was  now  only  seventy-two  years 
old.  This  old  man  called  in  at  a  house  about  two 
miles  from  Horseneck,  where  he  said  there  lived 
a  friend  of  his.  An  old  fellow  with  a  mealy  hat 
came  to  the  door,  and  received  him  with  a  "How 
d'ye,  old  friend  Jervis?"  So  I  parted  with  my  com- 
pany. 

208 


HORSENECK 


I  PASSED  thro'  Horseneck,  a  scattered  town,  at  half 
an  hour  after  eleven  o'clock,  and  passed  over  Rye 
Bridge  at  twelve,  the  boundary  of  Connecticut  and 
York  Government,  after  having  rid  155  miles  in 
Connecticut  Government. 

York  Government 

"Farewell,  Connecticut"  (said  I,  as  I  passed  along 
the  bridge),  "I  have  had  a  surfeit  of  your  ragged 
money,  rough  roads,  and  enthusiastick  people." 
The  countries  of  Connecticut  and  New  England 
are  very  large  and  well  peopled,  and  back  in  the 
country  here,  upon  the  navigable  rivers,  as  well  as 
in  the  maritime  parts,  are  a  great  many  fine  large 
towns.  The  people  here  are  chiefly  husbandmen  - 
and  farmers.  The  staples  are  the  same  as  in  the 
Massachusetts  Province.  They  transport  a  good 
many  horses  to  the  West  Indies,  and  there  is  one 
town  in  this  Province  that  is  famous  for  plantations 
of  onions,  of  which  they  send  quantities  all  over  the 
continent  and  to  the  islands,  loading  sloops  with 
them.  Many  of  these  onions  I  have  seen  nearly  as 
large  as  a  child's  head. 

It  is  reported  that  in  Connecticut  alone  they  can 
raise  fifty  or  sixty  thousand  men  able  to  bear  arms. 
One  Mr.  Law^  is  present  Governour  of  the  Province. 
It  is  but  a  deputy  Government  under  that  of  New 
England  or  the  Massachusetts.^ 

1  Jonathan  Law,  born  1674;  graduated  at  Harvard  1695;  Governor  of 
Connecticut  from  1 74 1  to  his  death  in  1750. 

2  A  singular  error,  perhaps  suggested  by  a  hazy  impression  of  Andros's 
government  of  New  England  in  1688. 


209 


Coming  into  York  Government  I  found  better 
roads,  but  not  such  a  complaisant  people  for  salut- 
ing upon  the  road,  tho'  in  their  houses  they  are 
neither  so  wild  nor  so  awkward.  It  is  to  no  pur- 
pose here  to  ask  how  many  miles  it  is  to  such  a  place. 
They  are  not  at  all  determined  in  the  measure  of 
their  miles.  Some  will  tell  you  that  you  are  two 
miles  from  your  stage.  Ride  half  a  mile  farther, 
they  '11  tell  you  it  is  four.  A  mile  farther,  you  '11 
be  told  it  is  six  miles,  and  three  miles  farther  they  '11 
say  it  is  seven,  and  so  on. 

New  Rochelle 

I  HAD  a  long  ride  before  I  arrived  at  New  Rochelle, 
where  I  dined  at  the  house  of  one  Le  Compte,  a 
Frenchman,  who  has  a  daughter  that  is  a  sprightly, 
sensible  girl. 

KiNGSBRIDGE 

Coming  from  thence  at  four  o'clock,  I  put  up  this 
night  at  Doughty's,  who  keeps  house  at  Kings- 
bridge;  a  fat  man,  much  troubled  with  the  rheu- 
matism, and  of  a  hasty,  passionate  temper.  I 
supped  upon  roasted  oysters,  while  my  landlord  eat 
roasted  ears  of  corn  at  another  table.  He  kept  the 
whole  house  in  a  stir  to  serve  him,  and  yet  could  not 
be  pleased. 

This  night  proved  very  stormy  and  threatened 
rain.  I  was  disturbed  again  in  my  rest  by  the  noise 
of  a  heavy  tread  of  a  foot  in  the  room  above.  That 
wherein  I  lay  was  so  large  and  lofty  that  any  noise 
echoed  as  if  it  had  been  in  a  church. 


210 


C^-tjuLcaU  (Lrv^'^v^j  9*(l^.'l\^&  C(ryi^nJuX,'c^/- 
fij^Ay^l^  &r  UviA^  QiUrTve^^  t^tvu^  <rtjsa<&, 

^^tu^^c&MiSLnj  HiJ^  yrLO^  ^^/ 

^^^^        fi^^ju^  ^/  o^.. 


(aM'  eA£^-  r/e^^i/^rv+^x,^!^-*^  /"^iX/  ^yt^jLe^  u^r-^y^ fixju^ 


Friday,  August  ^ist.  —  l  breakfasted  at  Doughty's. 
My  landlord  put  himself  in  a  passion  because  his 
daughter  was  tardy  in  getting  up  to  make  my  choco- 
late. He  spoke  so  thick  in  his  anger  and  in  so 
sharp  a  key  that  I  did  not  comprehend  what  he  said, 
I  saw  about  fifty  Indians  fishing  for  oysters  in 
the  gut  before  the  door.  The  wretches  waded 
about  stark  naked,  and  threw  the  oysters  as  they 
picked  them  up  with  their  hands  into  baskets  that 
hung  upon  their  left  shoulders.  They  are  a  lazy, 
indolent  generation,  and  would  rather  starve  than 
work  at  any  time,  but  being  unacquainted  with  our 
luxury,  Nature  in  them  has  few  demands,  which  are 
easily  satisfied. 

York  Island 

I  PASSED  over  Kingsbridge  at  nine  o'clock,  and  had 
a  pleasant  ride  to  York.  This  small  island  is  called 
York  Island  from  the  City  of  York,  which  stands 
upon  the  southwest  end  of  it.  It  is  a  pleasant  spot 
of  ground,  covered  with  several  small  groves  of 
trees. 

Turtle  Bay 

About  three  miles  before  I  reached  York  I  saw  the 
man-of-war  commanded  by  Commodore  Warren  ly- 
ing in  Turtle  Bay.  This  was  a  festival  day  with 
the  crew.  They  were  a-roasting  an  entire  ox  upon 
a  wooden  spit,  and  getting  drunk  as  fast  as  they 
could,  Warren  having  given  them  a  treat.  I  was 
overtaken  here  by  a  young  gentleman  who  gave  me 
a  whole  packet  of  news  about  prizes  and  privateer- 

211 


ing-,  which  is  now  the  whole  subject  of  discourse. 
I  met  one  Dutchman  on  the  road,  who  addressed 
me:  "May  I  be  so  bold,  where  do  you  come  from, 
sir?" 

New  York 

I  ARRIVED  in  New  York  about  eleven  o'clock,  and 
put  up  my  horses  at  Waghorn's.  After  calling  at 
Mrs.  Hogg's,  I  went  to  see  my  old  friend  Todd,  ex- 
pecting there  to  dine,  but  accidentally  I  encountered 
Stephen  Bayard,  who  carried  me  to  dine  at  his 
brother's. 

There  was  there  a  great  company  of  gentlemen ; 

among  the  rest  Mr.  D  cie,^  the  Chief  Justice, 

Mr.  H  n,^  the  City  Recorder,  and  one  Mr. 

More,^  a  lawyer.  There  was  one  gentleman  there 
whom  they  styled  captain,  who  squinted  the  most 
abominably  of  anybody  ever  I  saw.  His  eyes  were 
not  matched,  for  one  was  of  a  lighter  colour  than 
the  other.  Another  gentleman  there  wore  so  much 
of  a  haughty  frown  in  his  countenance,  that  even 
when  he  smiled  it  did  not  disappear.  There  were 
thirteen  gentlemen  at  table,  but  not  so  much  as  one 
lady.  W e  had  an  elegant,  sumptuous  dinner,  with 
a  fine  dessert  of  sweetmeats  and  fruits,  among 
which  last  there  were  some  of  the  best  white  grapes 
I  have  seen  in  America. 

The  table  chat  ran  upon  privateering  and  such 
discourse  as  has  now  become  so  common  that  it  is 
tiresome  and  flat.  One  there  who  set  up  for  a  dic- 
tator talked  very  much  to  the  discredit  of  Old  Eng- 

1  James  De  Lancey. 

2  Adrien  Hageman,  County  Clerk. 

3  Lambert  Moore. 

212 


land,  preferring  New  York  to  it  in  every  respect 
whatsoever  relating  to  good  living.  Most  of  his 
propositions  were  gratis  dicta,  and  it  seemed  as  if 
he  either  would  not  or  did  not  know  much  of  that 
fine  country  England.  He  said  that  the  grapes 
there  were  good  for  nothing  but  to  set  a  man's 
teeth  on  edge;  but  to  my  knowledge  I  have  seen 
grapes  in  gentlemen's  gardens  there  far  preferable 
to  any  ever  I  saw  in  these  northern  parts  of  Amer- 
ica. He  asserted  also  that  no  good  apple  could  be 
brought  up  there  without  a  glass  and  artificial  heat, 
which  assertion  was  palpably  false  and  glaringly 
ignorant,  for  almost  every  fool  knows  that  apples 
grow  best  in  northern  climates  betwixt  the  latitudes 
of  thirty-five  and  fifty,  and  that  in  the  southern  hot 
climes,  within  the  tropics,  they  don't  grow  at  all, 
and  therefore  the  best  apples  in  the  world  grow  in 
England  and  in  the  north  of  France.  He  went  even 
so  far  as  to  say  that  the  beef  in  New  York  was  prefer- 
able to  that  of  England.  When  he  came  there  I 
gave  him  up  as  a  trifler,  and  giving  no  more  atten- 
tion to  his  discourse,  he  lost  himself,  the  Lord  knows 
how  or  where,  in  a  thicket  of  erroneous  and  igno- 
rant dogmas,  which  any  the  most  exaggerating  trav- 
eller would  have  been  ashamed  of.  But  he  was  a 
great  person  in  the  place,  and  therefore  none  in  the 
company  was  imprudent  enough  to  contradict  him, 
tho'  some  were  there  that  knew  better. 

I  have  known  in  my  time  some  of  these  great 
dons  take  upon  them  to  talk  in  an  extravagant  and 
absurd  manner :  "What  a  fine  temperate  climate  this 
is!"  says  a  certain  dictating  fop,  while  everybody 
that  hears  him  is  conscious  that  it  is  fit  for  none  but 
the  devil  to  live  in.    "Don't  you  think  them  fine 


213 


oysters,"  says  another  exalted  prig,  while  everybody 
knows  he  is  eating  of  eggs.  This  we  cannot  con- 
ceive proceeds  from  ignorance,  but  from  a  certain 
odd  pleasure  they  have  in  talking  nonsense  without 
being  contradicted.  This  disposition  may  arise 
from  the  natural  perverseness  of  human  nature, 
which  is  always  most  absurd  and  unreasonable  when 
free  from  curb  or  restraint.  This  company  after 
dinner  sent  in  for  bumpers,  so  I  left  them  at  three 
o'clock. 

I  heard  this  day  that  Mr.  H  11  was  in  town, 

and  that  Ting,  master  of  the  Boston  galley,  had 
taken  Morpang,  the  French  cruiser,  after  a  des- 
perate battle  and  the  loss  of  many  men ;  but  to  this 
I  gave  little  credit.  By  letters  from  Lisbon  we  had 
an  account  of  Admiral  Matthews  having  taken 
eighty  French  trading  ships  up  the  straits. 

Saturday,  September  ist.—\  breakfasted  with  Mrs. 
Hogg  this  morning,  and  at  breakfast  there  was  a 
good  number  of  gentlemen ;  among  the  rest  one  Mr. 
Griffith  from  Rhode  Island  in  five  days,  who  in- 
formed us  that  the  news  of  Morpang's  being  taken 
was  a  fiction.  I  called  at  Mr.  Bayard's  in  the 
morning,  but  found  him  not  at  home.  I  met  my 
old  friend  Dr.  McGraa  at  the  door,  who  told  me  he 

had  seen  Mr.  H  11,  and  that  he  had  expressed  a 

desire  of  seeing  me.  I  dined  at  Todd's  with  a 
mixed  company,  and  in  the  afternoon  crossed  the 
river  to  Baker's  in  company  with  Dr.  Colchoun  and 
another  gentleman.  We  stayed  and  drank  some 
punch  there,  and  viewed  the  French  prizes  in  the 
harbour. 

We  returned  to  town  at  seven  o'clock.    We  went 


214 


to  the  Hungarian  Club  at  night,  where  were  present 
the  Chief  Justice,  the  City  Recorder,  Mr.  PhiHps,^ 
the  Speaker  of  the  House  of  Assembly,  and  several 
others.  We  had  a  deal  of  news  by  the  Boston 
papers  and  some  private  letters,  and  among  other 
news,  that  of  the  Dutch  having  declared  war  against 
France,  and  the  capture  of  some  of  the  barrier  towns 
in  Flanders  by  the  French,  as  also  the  taking  of 
some  tobacco  ships  near  the  capes  of  Virginia, 
which  furnished  matter  for  conversation  all  night. 
We  had  an  elegant  supper,  and  among  other  things 
an  excellent  dish  of  young  green  pease.    I  wanted 

much  to  have  met  with  H  11  this  day,  but  heard 

that  he  was  gone  over  to  Long  Island. 

Sunday,  September  2d. — I  stayed  at  home  the  fore- 
noon, and  dined  with  Stephen  Bayard.  Just  as  we 
had  done  dinner,  we  heard  two  raps  at  the  door  sol- 
.emnly  laid  on  with  a  knocker.  A  gentleman  in  the 
company  was  going  to  see  who  it  was,  but  Mr.  Bay- 
ard desired  him  not  to  trouble  himself,  for  it  was 
only  the  domper.  I  asked  who  that  was.  He  told 
me  it  was  a  fellow  that  made  a  course  thro'  one 
quarter  of  the  town,  giving  two  raps  at  each  door 
as  he  passed  to  let  the  people  in  the  houses  know 
that  the  second  bell  had  rung  out.  This  man  has  a 
gratuity  from  each  family  for  so  doing  every  new 
year.  His  address,  when  he  comes  to  ask  for  his 
perquisite,  is :  "Sir"  or  "Madam,  you  know  what  I 
mean."  So  he  receives  a  piece  of  money,  more  or 
less,  according  to  pleasure.  This  custom  first  be- 
gan in  New  York,  when  they  had  but  one  bell  to 

1  Adolphus  Philipse,  born  1665,  Speaker  of  the  New  York  Assembly 
1 725-1 737  and  1 739-1 745- 


warn  the  people  to  church,  and  that  bell  happened 
to  be  cracked,  so,  for  the  sake  of  lucre,  the  sextons 
have  kept  it  up  ever  since.  Such  a  trifling  office  as 
this  perhaps  is  worth  about  forty  pounds  a  year 
York  currency,  tho'  the  poor  fellow  sometimes  is 
drubbed  for  his  trouble  by  newcomers  who  do  not 
understand  the  custom. 

After  dinner  Mr.  Jeffrys  came  in,  and  we  had 
some  very  comical  jaw.  He  spoke  of  going  to 
Maryland  along  with  me.  I  went  home  at  four 
o'clock  and  supped  this  night  with  Mr.  Hogg,  there 
being  a  Scots  gentleman  in  company.  Just  before 
supper  Mr.  Bourdillon  came  in,  at  the  sight  of 
whom  we  were  all  surprised,  he  having  been  a  pretty 
while  gone  from  these  parts.  He  gave  us  an  ac- 
count of  his  adventures,  and  the  misfortunes  he 
had  met  with  since  his  departure,  of  his  narrowly 
escaping  a  drowning  in  his  voyage  to  Curasao,  his 
being  taken  by  the  Spaniards  in  his  passage  from 
Jamaica  to  New  York,  and  the  difficulties  and  hard- 
ships he  went  thro'  in  making  his  escape,  being 
obliged  to  live  for  four  days  upon  nothing  but  a 
quart  of  water,  and  being  driven  out  to  the  open 
ocean  in  a  small  undecked  boat  till  he  was  provi- 
dentially taken  up  by  a  Philadelphia  sloop,  bound 
homewards  to  Philadelphia. 

Monday,  September  sd.—l  stayed  at  home  all  this 
forenoon,  and  dined  at  Todd's,  where  was  a  very 
large  company,  and  among  the  rest  Mr.  Bour- 
dillon, who  told  us  that  he  had  seen  our  quondam 
acquaintance  Paul  Ruiz  among  his  countrymen  the 
Spaniards.  In  the  afternoon  I  went  to  the  coflfee- 
house  and  read  the  newspapers,  and  coming  home 

2l6 


at  six  o'clock,  I  drank  some  punch  with  Mr.  Hogg 
and  one  Heath,  a  dry  old  chap. 

Tuesday,  September  4th.— This  day  proving  very 
rainy,  I  kept  my  room  the  greatest  part  of  it.  I 
dined  with  Mr.  Hogg  and  family,  and  after  dinner 
the  discourse  turned  upon  hystericks  and  vapours 
in  women,  when  Mr.  Hogg,  pretending  to  discover 
to  me  an  infallible  cure  for  these  distempers  spoke 
good  neat  bawdy  before  his  wife,  who  did  not  seem 
to  be  much  surprised  at  it.  He  told  me  that  a  good 
mowing  was  a  cure  for  such  complaints.  I  con- 
cluded that  this  kind  of  talk  was  what  his  wife  had 
been  used  to,  but  it  is  an  inexcusable  piece  of  rude- 
ness and  rusticity  in  the  company  of  women  to  speak 
in  this  manner,  especially  when  it  is  practised  be- 
fore wives  and  daughters,  whose  ears  should  never 
receive  anything  from  husbands  and  fathers  but 
what  is  quite  modest  and  clean. 
.  In  the  afternoon  I  sauntered  about  some  time  in 
the  coffee-house,  where  were  some  rattling  fellows 
playing  at  backgammon,  and  some  deeper  headed 
politicians  at  the  game  of  chess.  At  six  I  went 
home,  and,  meeting  with  Mr.  Bourdillon,  he  and  I 
went  to  Todd's  together,  expecting  to  sup  and  have 
some  chat  snugly  by  ourselves,  but  we  were  inter- 
rupted by  three  young  rakes  who  bounced  in  upon 
us,  and  then  the  conversation  turned  from  a  grave 
to  a  wanton  strain.  There  was  nothing  talked  of 
but  ladies  and  lovers,  and  a  good  deal  of  polite 
smut.  We  drank  two  remarkable  toasts,  which  I 
never  before  heard  mentioned :  the  first  was  to  our 
dear  selves,  and  the  tenour  of  the  other  was  my  own 
health.    I  told  them  that  if  such  ridiculous  toasts 


217 


should  be  heard  of  out  of  doors,  we  should  procure 
the  name  of  the  Selfish  Club.  We  supped  and  dis- 
missed at  nine  o'clock.  Mr.  Bourdillon  and  T  went 
home  like  two  philosophers,  and  the  others  went 
a-whoring  like  three  rakes. 

Wednesday,  September  5^/1.  — It  threatened  rain  all 
day,  and  I  did  not  go  much  abroad.  I  went  in  the 
morning  with  Mr.  Hogg  to  the  Jews'  synagogue,' 
where  was  an  assembly  of  about  fifty  of  the  seed  of 
Abraham,  chanting  and  singing  their  doleful  hymns 
round  the  sanctuary  (where  was  contained  the  ark 
of  the  covenant  and  Aaron's  rod),  dressed  in  robes 
of  white  silk.  They  had  four  great  wax  candles 
lighted,  as  large  as  a  man's  arm.  Before  the  rabbi, 
who  was  elevated  above  the  rest  in  a  kind  of  desk, 
stood  the  seven  golden  candlesticks,  transformed 
into  silver  gilt.  They  were  all  slip-shod.  The 
men  wore  their  hats  in  the  synagogue,  and  had  a 
veil  of  some  white  stuflF,  which  they  sometimes 
threw  over  their  heads  in  their  devotion;  the 
women,  of  whom  some  were  very  pretty,  stood  up 
in  a  gallery  like  a  hen-coop.  They  sometimes 
paused  or  rested  a  little  from  singing,  and  talked 
about  business.  My  ears  were  so  filled  with  their 
lugubrious  songs  that  I  could  not  get  the  sound  out 
of  my  head  all  day. 

I  dined  at  Todd's  with  several  gentlemen,  and  at 
night  after  playing  a  hit  at  backgammon  with  Mr. 
Hogg,  I  went  to  Todd's  again  with  Mr.  Bourdillon, 
where  we  supped  by  ourselves.  It  rained  very 
hard,  and  we  returned  home  at  eleven  o'clock  at 
night. 

iThe  old  Synagogue  was  built  on  Mill  Street,  1729;  rebuilt  in  1817 
and  1818. 

218 


Thursday,  September  6th.— This  day,  the  weather 
being  somewhat  more  serene,  I  went  more  abroad, 
but  it  passed  away,  as  many  of  our  days  do,  unre- 
marked and  trifling.  I  did  Httle  more  than  breakfast, 
dine,  and  sup.  I  read  some  of  Homer's  twelfth  Iliad, 
and  went  to  the  coffee-house  in  the  afternoon,  where 
I  met  my  old  friend  Mr.  Knockson,  in  whose  vessel 
I  had  made  my  voyage  to  Albany.  I  also  saw  there 
the  learned  Dr.  McGraa,  who  told  me  for  news  that 
the  Indians  had  already  begun  their  hostilities  by 
murdering  some  families  of  the  back  inhabitants. 
I  played  at  backgammon  with  Mr.  Hogg  at  night 
and  supped  with  him. 

Friday,  September  /f/i.— This  morning  I  had  a  visit 
from  my  tailor,  who  fitted  me  with  a  new  coat  and 
breeches,  my  clothes  with  which  I  set  out  being 
quite  wore  to  a  cobweb.  Going  to  the  coffee-house 
with  Mr.  Bourdillon  at  eleven  o'clock,  I  played  at 
backgammon  with  him  and  lost  one  hit.    Just  as 

we  had  done  playing  Mr.  H  11  came  in,  who 

saluted  me  and  I  him  very  cordially,  and  inquired 
of  one  another's  welfare.  He  told  me  he  had  been 
upon  Long  Island,  and  was  very  well,  but  only  had 
got  a  broken  head.  "I  hope,"  replied  I,  "you  have 
not  been  a-fighting."  "No,"  says  he,  "but  I  tum- 
bled out  of  my  chair."  As  I  rid  along  the  road 
there  was  another  tall  thin  gentleman  with  him, 
who,  by  his  visage  jaime  I  took  to  be  a  West  Indian, 
and  I  guessed  right. 

I  dined  at  Todd's  with  Bourdillon  and  Dr.  Col- 
choun.  The  doctor  and  I  smoked  a  pipe  after  din- 
ner and  chopped  politics.  I  went  to  Waghorn's  at 
night  to  inquire  of  the  state  of  my  horses,  and  after 


219 


having  sat  some  time  in  a  mixed  company,  Major 
Spratt  came  in,  and  he  and  I  retired  into  a  room  by 
ourselves.  He  showed  me  a  picture  of  a  hermit  in 
his  cell,  contemplating  upon  mortality  with  a 
death's-head  in  his  hand.  It  was  done  in  oil  colours 
upon  wood,  and  according  to  my  judgment,  it  was 
a  very  nice  piece  of  painting. 

About  ten  o'clock  there  came  to  us  a  drunken 
doctor,  who  was  so  intoxicated  with  liquor  that  he 
could  scarce  speak  one  connected  sentence.  He 
was  much  chagrined  with  some  people  for  calling 
him  a  quack.  "But  God  damn  'em,"  says  he,  "I 
have  a  case  of  pistols  and  sword;  I  '11  make  every 
blood  of  them  own  before  long  what  it  is  to  abuse  a 
man  of  liberal  education."  I  asked  him  what  uni- 
versity he  had  studied  at,  Cambridge  or  Oxford. 
"Damn  me,  neither,"  said  he.  "Did  you  study  at 
Leyden  under  Boerhaave,  sir?"  said  I.  "Boer- 
haave  may  go  to  hell  for  a  fool  and  a  blockhead  as 
he  was,"  said  he,  "that  fellow  was  admired  by  all 
the  world,  and,  damn  his  soul,  I  know  not  for  what. 
For  my  part,  I  always  had  a  mean  opinion  of  him, 
only  because  he  was  one  of  them  rascally  Dutch- 
men, damn  their  souls."  He  went  on  at  this  rate 
for  about  half  an  hour.  I,  being  tired  of  this  kind 
of  eloquence,  left  him  to  himself  and  went  home. 

Saturday,  September  8th.— 1  called  this  morning  at 
Mr.  Bayard's,  but  he  was  not  in  town.  I  kept  my 
room  most  of  the  forenoon,  and  read  Homer's  thir- 
teenth Iliad.  I  dined  at  Todd's  with  a  countryman 
of  mine,  who  had  come  from  Virginia.  He  was  a  little 
dapper  young  fellow  with  a  gaudy  laced  jacket;  his 
name  Rhae,  by  trade  a  merchant,  and  had  travelled 

220 


most  of  the  continent  of  English  America.  He 
mistook  me  for  the  doctor  of  the  man-of-war,  and, 
asking  me  when  we  should  sail,  I  replied  that  I  did 
not  expect  to  sail  anywhere  till  such  time  as  I 
should  cross  the  ferry. 

We  expected  great  news  this  night  from  Boston, 
having  heard  that  some  London  ships  had  lately  ar- 
rived there ;  but  we  were  disappointed,  for  none  had 
come.  I  supped  at  Todd's  with  Bourdillon  and 
some  French  gentlemen.  We  heard  news  that 
Commodore  Haynson  in  his  way  home  had  taken 
the  Acapulco  ship,  a  very  rich  prize,  and  that  some 
ships  from  New  York  had  been  taken  in  their  way 
home;  but  there  are  so  many  lies  now  stirring  that 
I  gave  little  credit  to  these  nouvelles.  This  night 
was  very  sharp  and  cold.  Bourdillon  and  I  went 
home  at  eleven  o'clock, 

Sunday,  September  gth.—l  went  this  morning  to 
the  French  church^  with  Mons.  Bourdillon,  and 
heard  one  Mons.  Rue^  preach.  He  is  reckoned  a 
man  of  good  learning  and  sense ;  but,  being  foolishly 
sarcastical,  he  has  an  unlucky  knack  at  disobliging 
the  best  of  his  parishioners,  so  that  the  congrega- 
tion has  now  dwindled  to  nothing. 

I  dined  at  Todd's  with  a  mixed  company,  and 
had  two  letters:  one  from  Dr.  Moffatt  at  Rhode 
Island,  in  which  I  had  the  first  news  of  the  death  of 
our  great  poet  Pope,  full  of  glory,  tho'  not  of  days ; 
the  other  letter  came  from  Boston,  and  came  from 
the  hand  of  La  Moinnerie,  which,  for  a  specimen 
of  the  French  compliment,  I  shall  here  transcribe:  — 

1  Erected  first  on  King  Street  (now  Pine)  1704. 

2  Rev.  Louis  Rou,  lived  on  South  William  Street. 


221 


A  Boston,  le  28me  aoust  1744. 

Monsieur, — Je  regois  dans  ce  moment,  par  Mon- 
sieur Hughes,  la  lettre  que  vous  avez  pris  la  peine 
de  m'escrire,  le  24  du  courant,  de  Rhode  Island,  la- 
quelle  m'a  fait  un  sensible  plaisir,  [en]  apprenant 
votre  heureuse  arrivee  en  ce  pays-la.  Je  desire  que 
vous  conserverez  votre  sante,  et  je  redouble  mes 
voeux  a  ciel  pour  que  la  fatigue  du  voyage  ne  vous 
soit  point  incommode. 

Vos  nouvelles  me  prouvent  entierement  la  bonte 
que  vous  avez  pour  moi,  et  m'assurent  aussi  que 
j'avois  tort  de  penser  que  mes  entretiens  vous  in- 
commodoient,  car  en  verite  j'etois  timide  de  vous 
arreter  si  souvent  et  meme  dans  les  temps  que  vous 
etiez  si  souhaite  dans  ce  qu'il  y  avoit  de  plus  aima- 
bles  compagnies,  mais  a  vous  parler  franchement, 
je  me  trouvois  si  content  avec  vous  que  je  fus  aussi 
fort  chagrine  de  votre  depart,  ainsi  que  tous  vos 
amis  I'ont  ete,  et  si  mes  affaires  eussent  pu  finir, 
j'aurois  ete  de  votre  compagnie  jusque  dans  votre 
pays.  Je  tremble  quand  je  fais  reflexion  sur  I'hiver, 
si  je  suis  oblige  de  rester  dans  les  pays  froids. 

J'espere  que  vous  me  donnerez  la  satisfaction  de 
m'escrire.  Je  tacherai  a  la  premiere  de  vous  es- 
crire  en  anglois,  etant  bien  persuade  que  vous  vou- 
driez  bien  excuser  mon  ignorance.  Je  me  suis  tant 
applique  que  j'ai  congu  tous  les  mots  de  votre  lettre, 
qui  sont  fort  clairs  et  poetiques,  et  pour  ne  laisser 
aucune  doute  Monsieur  le  docteur  Douglass  m'a 
fait  le  plaisir  de  la  lire. 

Je  n'ai  pas  encore  pris  ma  medecine,  mais  je  vais 
m'y  determiner. 

Tous  vos  amis  vous  saluent  et  vous  souhaitent 
bien  de  la  sante.    Je  vous  escris  le  present  par  un 

222 


docteur  de  medecine  de  la  Barbade,  qui  va  a  Rhode 
Island.  Je  souhaite  qu'il  vous  y  trouve  en  bonne 
joie.  Je  suis  parfaitement,  monsieur  et  ami,  votre 
tres  humble  et  tres  obeissant  serviteur, 

D.  LA  MOINNERIE,  etC. 

[Translation  by  William  Gordon:] 

[Boston,  August  28,  1744. 
Sir, — I  have  this  moment  received,  by  Mr.  Hughes, 
the  letter  which  you  have  taken  the  trouble  to 
write  me  of  the  24th  instant  from  Rhode  Island. 
It  has  given  me  the  greatest  pleasure  to  learn  of 
your  safe  arrival  in  that  country.  I  sincerely  trust 
that  your  health  will  be  preserved  and  that  the 
fatigues  of  the  journey  may  not  incommode  you  in 
the  slightest  degree. 

What  you  say  is  to  me  a  certain  proof  of  your 
kindly  regard,  and  convinces  me  that  I  was  entirely 
wrong  in  supposing  that  my  conversation  disturbed 
you,  for  in  truth  I  was  afraid  to  intrude  upon  you 
so  often  and  at  times  when  you  were  so  much  de- 
sired and  appreciated  by  the  most  amiable  society. 
To  confess  the  honest  truth  I  was  delighted  with 
you  and  as  grieved  at  your  departure  as  any  of 
your  friends  could  have  been,  and  if  my  affairs  had 
permitted  it  would  willingly  have  accompanied  you 
into  your  own  country.  But  I  tremble  when  I  think 
of  winter  if  I  should  be  compelled  to  make  my  abode 
in  cold  countries. 

I  trust  that  you  will  do  me  the  great  favour  to 
write  me.  I  shall  try  for  the  first  time  to  write 
you  in  English,  well  knowing  that  you  will  kindly 
excuse  my  ignorance.    So  great  was  my  application 


223 


that  I  understood  every  word  of  your  letter,  the 
diction  of  which  was  not  only  clear,  but  poetic,  and 
to  remove  any  difficulty  Dr.  Douglass  did  me  the 
favour  to  read  it. 

I  have  not  yet  taken  my  medicine,  but  am  deter- 
mined to  do  so. 

All  your  friends  salute  you  and  wish  you  abun- 
dant health.  I  write  you  this  by  a  medical  doctor 
of  Barbadoes  who  is  going  to  Rhode  Island.  Trust- 
ing that  he  will  find  you  in  the  enjoyment  of  every 
happiness,  I  remain, 

Dear  sir  and  friend, 

Your  most  humble  and  obedient  servant, 

(Signed)  D.  la  Moinnerie,  etc.] 

I  went  this  afternoon  with  Mr.  Hogg  to  the 
Presbyterian  meeting  and  heard  there  a  good  puri- 
tanick  sermon  preached  by  one  Pemberton.  I 
supped  at  Todd's  with  two  or  three  of  my  country- 
men, among  whom  was  Mr.  Knox. 

Monday,  September  loth.—l  dined  this  day  with 
Mr.  Bayard's  brother,  and,  after  dinner,  we  tossed 
about  the  bumpers  so  furiously  that  I  was  obliged 
to  go  home  and  sleep  for  three  hours  and  be  worse 

than  my  word  to  Mr.  H  11,  with  whom  I  had 

promised  to  spend  the  evening.  I  writ  to  Dr.  Mof- 
fatt  at  Newport,  and  to  La  Moinnerie  at  Boston,  of 
which  letter  follows  the  copy:  — 

A  New  York,  le  lome  de  Septembre. 
Monsieur,— L'honneur  de  la  votre,  en  date  du 
28me  aoust,  m'est  bien  parvenu.     Je  suis  bien 
charme  que  vous  jouissiez  d'une  bonne  sante,  et 


224 


vous  remercie  de  la  faveur  que  vous  m'avez  faite 
en  m'escrivant.  Pour  ce  qui  me  regarde,  je  jouis 
d'une  parfaite  sante  depuis  que  j'ai  laisse  Boston. 
La  seule  chose  que  je  regrette  est  de  me  voir  separe 
(et  peut-etre  pour  toujours)  des  agr cables  per- 
sonnes  avec  qui  je  me  suis  rencontre  et  lie  connais- 
sance  lors  que  j'etois  a  Boston,  et  en  particulier  de 
vous,  monsieur,  de  qui  I'humeur  facetieuse,  gaie,  et 
la  conversation  agreable,  me  plaisoit  beaucoup; 
mais,  helas!  nos  joies  ne  sont  pas  durables.  Elles 
sont  comme  les  nuages  d'une  belle  soiree,— le  soleil 
couchant,  de  differentes  formes  et  de  diverses  cou- 
leurs  charmantes ;  mais  sitost  que  cette  lumiere  glo- 
rieuse  s'eloignera  de  notre  horizon,  et  se  couchera 
dans  le  sein  de  Thetis,  sa  belle  maitresse,  ce  spec- 
tacle brillant  se  dissipera,  nous  sommes  dans  le 
crepuscule,  la  nuit  s'approche,  il  fait  sombre!  He 
bien,  que  pensez-vous,  monsieur  ?  sans  doute  que  je 
sole  devenu  fou  ou  poete,  escrivant  de  telles  baga- 
telles dans  une  langue  dont  je  n'entends  pas  le 
propre  idiome,  mais  je  me  flatte  que  vous  veuillez 
bien  excuser  mon  ignorance. 

J'ai  vu  de  differents  climats  et  de  differents  vi- 
sages depuis  que  je  vous  ai  quitte.  A  I'egard  du 
pays,  il  est  quelquefois  montagneux  et  plein  de 
roches,  quelquefois  c'est  un  terrain  egal,  et  assez 
agreable.  J'ai  vu  bien  des  hommes  que  Ton  peut 
bien  appeler  fous,  et  d'autres  gens  d'esprit,  mais 
j'en  ai  peu  rencontre  de  sages.  A  I'egard  du  sexe, 
j'en  ai  vu  dont  les  charmes  seroient  capables  d'es- 
chauffer  les  roches,  ou  de  fondre  des  montagnes 
de  glace.  Vraiment,  monsieur,  vous  ne  devez  pas 
craindre  I'hiver  a  Boston,  puisque  le  sexe  y  est  si 
plein  de  charmes  et  de  chaleurs  benignes,  mais  je 


225 


n'en  dis  pas  davantage,  laissant  a  ceux  qui  en  sont 
les  spectateurs,  et  qui  sont  du  sang  plus  chaud  que 
I'est  le  mien,  les  soins  de  les  captiver. 

You  '11  pardon  me,  sir,  for  writing  you  in  bad 
French.  To  make  amends  I  subjoin  a  scrap  of 
English,  tho'  not  much  better,  yet  I  hope  more 
properly  expressed.  I  expect  still  to  hear  from 
you,  and  wish  you  all  the  health  and  tranquillity 
which  a  mortal  man  can  possibly  enjoy. 

[Translation  by  IVilliam  Gordon:] 

[New  York,  September  lo. 
Sir,— I  have  duly  received  your  favour  of  the 
28th  August.  I  am  delighted  to  learn  that  you  are 
in  the  enjoyment  of  good  health,  and  thank  you  for 
the  honour  you  have  done  me  in  writing  to  me.  With 
regard  to  myself  I  have  enjoyed  perfect  health  since 
I  left  Boston.  The  only  thing  I  regret  is  to  find 
myself  separated  (and  perhaps  forever)  from  the 
agreeable  persons  I  met  and  whose  acquaintance  I 
made  while  I  was  in  Boston;  and  to  you,  sir,  does 
this  remark  particularly  refer,  with  whose  gay  face- 
tious humour  and  pleasant  conversation  I  was  so 
greatly  pleased.  But,  alas !  our  joys  are  transient. 
Like  the  clouds  of  a  lovely  evening  at  sunset,  they 
assume  different  forms  and  divers  charming  colours, 
but  as  soon  as  the  glorious  luminary  of  day  sinks 
beneath  the  horizon  and  goes  to  rest  in  the  bosom 
of  Thetis,  his  beautiful  mistress,  the  glorious  spec- 
tacle vanishes:  we  are  in  the  twilight — night  comes 
on  apace— it  is  dark.  Ah !  but  what  must  you  think, 
sir  ?  certainly  that  I  have  either  become  a  lunatic  or 
a  poet,  to  write  such  bagatelles  in  a  language  of 

226 


which  I  don't  even  understand  the  correct  idiom;  I 
flatter  myself,  however,  that  you  will  kindly  excuse 
my  ignorance. 

Since  leaving  you  I  have  experienced  different 
climates  and  have  seen  different  faces.  With  re- 
spect to  the  country,  it  is  sometimes  mountainous 
and  full  of  precipices,  sometimes  it  is  a  level  plain 
and  very  pleasant.  I  have  seen  many  men  whom 
one  might  well  term  fools,  and  met  some  wits,  but 
few  who  could  be  deemed  wise.  Apropos  of  the 
sex,  I  have  seen  those  whose  charms  would  warm 
rocks,  would  melt  icy  mountains.  Truly,  sir,  you 
have  no  need  to  fear  the  winter  in  Boston,  since  the 
sex  there  is  so  replete  with  charms  and  benignant 
warmth;  but  I  will  say  no  more,  leaving  to  those 
who  behold  them  and  are  of  warmer  blood  than  I 
the  labour  of  captivating  them.] 

I  supped  at  Todd's  this  night  with  a  mixed  com- 
pany, where  we  had  a  deal  of  trifling  chat. 

Tuesday,  September  nth.— This,  morning  at  the 

coffee-house  I  took  my  leave  of  Mr.  H  11,  who 

gave  me  his  good  wishes,  and  promised  to  write  to 
me  from  Barbadoes. 

Ferry— Elizabethtown  Point 

I  DINED  with  my  countryman,  Mr.  Rhea,  at  Mr. 
Bayard's,  and,  taking  my  leave  of  Mrs.  Hogg  and 
her  sister  after  dinner,  I  took  boat  along  with  Mr. 
Rhea  from  York  to  Elizabethtown  Point,  and  had 
a  pleasant  passage,  making  fifteen  miles  by  water  in 
three  hours. 


227 


Jersey  Government— Elizabethtown  — 
woodbridge 

Mr.  Rhea  and  I  mounted  horse,  and  rid  twelve 
miles  farther  after  sundown.  We  passed  thro' 
Elizabethtown  at  seven  o'clock  at  night,  and  ar- 
rived at  Woodbridge  at  half  an  hour  after  eight. 
The  country  here  is  pleasant  and  pretty  clear,  with 
a  beautiful  intermixture  of  woods.  The  roads  are 
very  good  in  dry  weather. 

We  put  up  at  one  Heard's,  where  we  supped  with 
a  simple  fellow,  that  had  been  bred  up  among  the 
reeds  and  sedges,  and  did  not  seem  as  if  ever  he  had 
conversed  with  men.  His  name  was  Mason,  a 
Quaker  by  profession.  Our  landlady  was  a  jolly 
fat  woman,  weighing  about  two  hundredweight  of 
fat. 

I  was  sorry  to  leave  New  York,  upon  account  of 
being  separated  from  some  agreeable  acquaintance 
I  had  contracted  there,  and  at  the  same  time  I  can- 
not but  own  that  I  was  glad  to  remove  from  a  place 
where  the  temptation  of  drinking  (a  thing  so  incom- 
patible with  my  limber  constitution)  threw  itself  so 
often  in  my  way.  I  knew  here  several  men  of 
sense,  ingenuity,  and  learning,  and  a  much  greater 
number  of  fops,  whom  I  chuse  not  to  name,  not  so 
much  for  fear  of  giving  offence  as  because  I  think 
their  names  are  not  worthy  to  be  recorded  either  in 
manuscript  or  printed  journals.  These  dons  com- 
monly held  their  heads  higher  than  the  rest  of  man- 
kind, and  imagined  few  or  none  were  their  equals. 
But  this  I  found  always  proceeded  from  their  nar- 
row notions,  ignorance  of  the  world,  and  low  ex- 
traction, which  indeed  is  the  case  with  most  of  our 

228 


aggrandized  upstarts  in  these  infant  countries  of 
America,  who  never  had  an  opportunity  to  see,  or 
(if  they  had)  the  capacity  to  observe  the  different 
ranks  of  men  in  poHte  nations,  or  to  know  what  it 
is  that  really  constitutes  that  difference  of  degrees. 

Wednesday,  September  12th.— 1  was  waked  this 
morning  before  sunrise  with  a  strange  bawling  and 
hollowing  without  doors.  It  was  the  landlord  order- 
ing his  negroes,  with  an  imperious  and  exalted 
voice.  In  his  orders  the  known  term  or  epithet  of 
son  of  a  hitch  was  often  repeated. 

I  came  downstairs,  and  found  one  Mr.  White,  a 
Philadelphian,  and  the  loggerheaded  fellow  that 
supped  with  us  last  night  ordering  some  tea  for 
breakfast.  Mr.  Mason,  among  other  judicious 
questions,  asked  me  how  cheeses  sold  in  Maryland. 
I  told  him  I  understood  nothing  of  that  kind  of  mer- 
chandise, but  if  he  wanted  to  know  the  price  of 
cathartics  and  emetics  there,  I  could  inform  him. 
He  asked  me  what  sort  of  commodities  these  were. 
I  replied  that  it  was  a  particular  kind  of  truck  which 
I  dealt  in.  When  our  tea  was  made  it  was  such 
abominable  stuff  that  I  could  not  drink  of  it,  but 
drank  a  porringer  of  milk. 


PiTSCATUAY 

We  set  off  at  seven  o'clock,  and  before  nine  passed 
thro'  a  place  called  Pitscatuay,^  about  three  miles 
from  Brunswick.  I  have  observed  that  several 
places  upon  the  American  main  go  by  that  name. 

1  Piscafaqua. 


229 


The  country  here  is  pleasant  and  level,  intermixed 
with  skirts  of  woods  and  meadow  ground.  The 
road  in  general  good,  but  stony  in  some  places. 

Raritan  Ferry— Brunswick 

We  crossed  Raritan  River,  and  arrived  in  Bruns- 
wick at  nine  o'clock.  We  baited  our  horses  and 
drank  some  chocolate  at  Miller's. 


Kingston 

We  mounted  again  at  ten,  and  after  riding  fifteen 
miles  of  a  pleasant  road,  the  day  being  somewhat 
sultry,  we  put  up  at  Leonard's  at  Kingston,  a  little 
before  one,  where  we  dined.  Here  we  met  with  an 
old  chattering  fellow,  who  imagined  that  Mr.  Rhea 
was  an  officer  of  Warren's  man-of-war,  and  wanted 
to  list  himself.  He  told  us  he  had  served  in  Queen 
Anne's  wars,  and  that  he  was  born  under  the  Crown 
of  England,  and  that  eighteen  years  ago  he  had  left 
the  service,  and  lived  with  his  wife.  We  asked  him 
where  his  wife  was  now.  He  answered  he  sup- 
posed in  hell,  "asking  your  honour's  pardon,  for 
she  was  such  a  plague  that  she  was  fit  for  nobody's 
company  but  the  devil's."  We  could  scarcely  get 
rid  of  this  fellow,  till  we  made  him  so  drunk  with 
rum  that  he  could  not  walk.  He  drank  to  Captain 
Warren's  health,  and  subjoined,  "not  forgetting 
King  George."  We  took  horse  again  at  three 
o'clock,  and  ^^'hite  and  the  Quaker  kept  in  close 
conversation  upon  the  road,  about  twenty  paces  be- 

230 


fore,  while  Rhea  and  I  held  a  conference  by  our- 
selves. 

Maidenhead— Trenton 

At  five  o'clock  we  passed  thro'  a  town  called  Maiden- 
head, and  at  six  arrived  at  Bond's  in  Trenton,  where 
we  put  up  for  all  night.  Here  Mason,  the  Quaker, 
left  us,  little  regretted,  because  his  company  was  but 
insipid.  Just  as  Rhea  and  I  lighted  at  the  door,  there 
came  up  a  storm  at  northwest,  which  we  were 
thankful  we  had  so  narrowly  escaped,  for  it  blowed 
and  rained  vehemently. 

We  had  Dr.  Cadwaller's  company  at  supper  and 
that  of  another  gentleman  in  town,  whose  name  I 
cannot  remember.  There  passed  a  great  deal  of 
physical  discourse  betwixt  the  doctor  and  me,  of 
which  Rhea  and  White  being  tired  went  to  bed,  and 
I  followed  at  eleven  o'clock. 

Delaware  Ferry 

Thursday,  September  i^th. — This  morning  proved 
very  sharp  and  cold.  We  set  out  from  Trenton  at 
seven  o'clock,  and,  riding  thro'  a  pleasant  road,  we 
crossed  Delaware  Ferry  a  little  before  eight,  where 
the  tide  and  wind  being  both  strong  against  us,  we 
were  carried  a  great  way  down  the  river  before  we 
could  land. 

Bristo' 

We  arrived  at  Bristo'  betwixt  nine  and  ten  o'clock, 
and  breakfasted  at  Walton's. 


231 


Shammany  Ferry 


Setting  out  from  thence  we  crossed  Shammany* 
Ferry  at  eleven  o'clock.  The  sun  growing  some- 
what warmer  we  travelled  with  ease  and  pleasure. 
We  stopped  some  time  at  a  house  within  thir- 
teen miles  of  Philadelphia,  where  there  was  an 

overgrown  landlady  much  of  the  size  of  B  y 

M  1  at  Annapolis,  who  gave  us  bread  and 

cheese  and  some  cold  apple-pie,  but  we  paid  dear 
for  it. 

Before  we  went  into  town,  we  stopped  to  see  the 
works,  where  they  were  casting  of  cannon,  where  I 
thought  they  made  but  bungling  work  of  it,  spoil- 
ing ten  where  they  made  one. 

Philadelphia 

We  entered  Philadelphia  at  four  o'clock  and  Rhea 
and  I  put  up  at  Cockburn's.^  I  went  at  six  o'clock 
and  spent  the  evening  with  Collector  Alexander. 

Friday,  September  14th. — I  stayed  at  home  most  of 
the  forenoon,  the  air  being  somewhat  sharp  and 
cold.  I  dined  with  Mr.  Currie  and  Mr.  Weemse, 
at  a  private  house,  and,  going  home  after  dinner, 
read  one  of  Shakespear's  plays.  I  drank  tea  with 
my  landlady  Mrs.  Cume,  and  at  five  o'clock  went  to 
the  coflfee-house,  where  I  saw  Dr.  Spencer,^  who  for 

1  Neshaminy. 

2  Kept  by  one  Joseph  Coburn  on  Chestnut  Street. 

3  Probably  the  Dr.  Spencer  spoken  of  in  the  journal  of  William  Black, 
secretar)'  of  the  Virginia  commissioners  to  make  a  treaty  with  the  Six  Na- 
tions at  Lancaster  in  1744,  who  writes:  "On  Tuesday,  June  5th,  we  went 
to  the  State  House,  where  Dr.  Spencer  entertained  us  very  agreeably  with 
several  Philosophical  transactions." 


some  time  had  held  a  course  of  physical  lectures  of 
the  experimental  kind  here  and  at  New  York.  I 
delivered  him  a  letter  from  Dr.  Moffatt  at  Newport. 
I  met  here  likewise  one  Mitchell,  a  practitioner  of 
physick  in  Virginia,  who  was  travelling  as  he  told 
me  upon  account  of  his  health.  He  was  a  man 
much  of  my  own  make,  and  his  complaints  were 
near  akin  to  mine.  Here  I  met  Dr.  Phineas  Bond 
and  others  of  my  old  acquaintances. 

At  Philadelphia  I  heard  news  of  some  conturba- 
tions  and  fermentations  of  parties  at  Annapolis, 
concerning  the  election  of  certain  parliament  mem- 
bers for  that  wretched  city,  and  was  sorry  to  find 
that  these  trifles  still  contributed  so  much  to  set 
them,  at  variance,  but  I  pray  that  the  Lord  may  pity 
them,  and  not  leave  them  entirely  to  themselves  and 
the  devil.  I  went  home  at  eight  at  night,  the  air 
being  cold  and  raw,  and  was  sorry  to  hear  that  my 
fellow  traveller  Mr.  Rhea  was  taken  with  an  ague, 
the  effect  of  our  night's  ride  upon  Tuesday. 

Saturday,  September  i ^th.—Th.\s  morning  proving 
rainy,  I  stayed  at  home  till  eleven  o'clock,  at  which 
time  my  barber  came  to  shave  me,  and  gave  me  a 
harangue  of  politics  and  news.  I  paid  a  visit  to 
Dr.  Thomas  Bond,  and  went  and  dined  at  Cock- 
burn's  in  company  with  two  stanch  Quakers,  who 
sat  at  table  with  their  broad  hats  upon  their  heads. 
They  eat  a  great  deal  more  than  they  spoke,  and 
their  conversation  was  only  yea  and  nay.  In  the 
afternoon  I  had  a  visit  of  Mr.  Rhea,  who  had  ex- 
pelled his  ague  by  the  force  of  a  vomit. 

At  six  o'clock  I  went  to  the  coffee-house  and 
thence  with  Mr.  Alexander  to  the  Governour's 


233 


club,  where  the  Governour  himself  was  present,  and 
several  other  gentlemen  of  note  in  the  place.  The 
conversation  was  agreeable  and  instructing,  only 
now  and  then  some  persons  there  showed  a  particu- 
lar fondness  for  introducing  gross,  smutty  expres- 
sions, which  I  thought  did  not  altogether  become  a 
company  of  philosophers  and  men  of  sense. 

Sunday,  September  i6th.— This  morning  proved 
very  sharp,  and  it  seemed  to  freeze  a  little.  I 
breakfasted  at  Neilson's  with  Messrs.  Home  and 
Watts  and  went  to  the  Presbyterian  meeting  in  the 
morning  with  Mr.  Wallace.  There  I  heard  a  very 
Calvinistical  sermon  preached  by  an  old  holder- 
forth,  whose  voice  was  somewhat  rusty,  and  his 
countenance  a  little  upon  the  four  square.  The 
pulpit  appeared  to  me  somewhat  in  shape  like  a  tub, 
and  at  each  side  of  it  aloft  was  hung  an  old-fash- 
ioned brass  sconce. 

In  this  assembly  was  a  collection  of  the  most 
curious  old-fashioned  screwed-up  faces,  both  of 
men  and  women,  that  ever  I  saw.  There  were  a 
great  many  men  in  the  meeting  with  linen  night- 
caps, an  indecent  and  unbecoming  dress,  which  is 
too  much  wore  in  all  the  churches  and  meetings  in 
America  that  I  have  been  in,  unless  it  be  those  of 
Boston,  where  they  are  more  decent  and  polite  in 
their  dress,  tho'  more  fantastical  in  their  doctrines, 
and  much  alike  in  their  honesty  and  morals. 

I  dined  with  Collector  Alexander,  and  in  the 
afternoon  went  with  Mr.  Weemse  to  the  Roman 
Chapel,  where  I  heard  some  fine  musick  and  saw 
some  pretty  ladies.  The  priest,  after  saying  mass, 
catechized  some  children  in  English,  and  insisted 


234 


much  upon  our  submitting  our  reason  to  religion 
and  believing  of  everything  that  God  said  (or  prop- 
erly speaking  everything  that  the  priest  says,  who 
often  has  the  impudence  to  quote  the  divine  author- 
ity to  support  his  absurdities),  however  contra- 
dictory or  repugnant  it  seemed  to  our  natural 
reason.  I  was  taken  with  a  sick  qualm  in  this 
chapel,  which  I  attributed  to  the  gross  nonsense, 
proceeding  from  the  mouth  of  the  priest,  which,  I 
suppose,  being  indigestible  bred  crudities  in  my  in- 
tellectual stomach,  and  confused  my  animal  spirits. 
I  spent  the  evening  at  the  tavern  with  some  Scots- 
men. 

Monday,  September  lyth.— This  day  was  very  sharp 
and  cold  for  the  season,  and  a  fire  was  very  grate- 
ful. I  did  little  but  stay  at  home  all  day,  and  em- 
ployed my  time  in  reading  of  Homer's  Iliad.  I 
dined  at  the  tavern,  and  walked  out  to  the  country 
after  dinner  to  reap  the  benefit  of  the  sharp  air. 
When  I  returned  I  drank  tea  with  Mrs.  Cume,  and 
there  being  some  ladies  there,  the  conversation  ran 
still  upon  the  old  topic,  religion. 

I  had  a  letter  from  my  brother  in  Maryland, 
where  there  was  an  account  of  some  changes  that 
had  happened  there  since  I  left  the  place.  At  the 
coffee-house  I  could  observe  no  new  faces,  nor  could 
I  learn  any  news. 

Tuesday,  September  i8th. — This  forenoon  I  spent 
in  reading  of  Shakespear's  Timon  of  Athens,  or 
Manhater,  a  play  which,  tho'  not  written  according 
to  Aristotle's  rules,  yet  abounds  with  inimitable 
beauties,  peculiar  to  this  excellent  author. 


235 


I  dined  at  Cockburn's,  where  was  a  set  of  very 
comical  phizzes,  and  a  very  vulgar  unfurbished  con- 
versation, which  I  did  not  join  in,  but  eat  my  dinner 
and  was  a  hearer,  reaping  as  much  instruction  from 
it  as  it  would  yield. 

I  paid  a  visit  to  Collector  Alexander  in  the  after- 
noon, and  at  night  going  to  the  cofifee-house,  I  went 
from  thence,  along  with  Messrs.  Wallace  and  Cur- 
rie,  to  the  Musick  Club,  where  I  heard  a  tolerable 
concerto  performed  by  a  harpsichord  and  three  vio- 
lins. One  Levy  there  played  a  very  good  violin; 
one  Quin  bore  another  pretty  good  part;  Tench 
Francis  played  a  very  indifferent  finger  upon  an 
excellent  violin,  that  once  belonged  to  the  late  Ch. 
Calvert,^  Governour  of  Maryland.  We  dismissed 
at  eleven  o'clock,  after  having  regaled  ourselves 
with  musick,  and  good  viands  and  liquor. 

Wednesday  J  September  /pf/x.— To-day  I  resolved  to 
take  my  departure  from  this  town.  In  the  morning 
my  barber  came  to  shave  me  and  almost  made  me 
sick  with  his  Irish  brogue  and  stinking  breath.  He 
told  me  that  he  was  very  glad  to  see  that  I  was 
after  being  of  the  right  religion,  I  asked  him  how 
he  came  to  know  what  religion  I  was  of.  "Ohon ! 
and  sweet  Jesus  now !"  said  he,  "as  if  I  had  not  see 
your  Honour  at  the  Roman  Catholic  chapel,  coming 
upon  Sunday  last."  Then  he  ran  out  upon  a  blun- 
dering encomium  concerning  the  Catholicks  and 
their  principles.  I  dined  with  Mr.  Alexander,  and, 
taking  my  leave  of  him  and  wife,  I  went  to  Mr. 
Strider's  in  Front  Street,  where  I  had  some  com- 
missions to  deliver  to  Mr.  Tasker  at  Annapolis. 

1  Charles  Calvert,  cousin  of  the  fourth  Lord  Baltimore ;  became  Gov- 
ernor of  Maryland  1720. 

236 


cc^r^  (yyvt*-^-'^  ^h^-ot^  ■^x^^-f,^/^]^^^  ^1^^  ^ 

U    Ouri  6iJf~  Oi£^  ^     lHJ^^'<-l^   fiu*^  u*^  H^KJL.  ^J^/UJL^ 

"   I      ^  oJ       0^  dJL^ 


Skuylkill  Ferry— Darby 

Taking  horse  at  half  an  hour  after  three  o'clock,  I 
left  Philadelphia,  and  crossed  Skuylkill  Ferry.  At 
a  quarter  after  four,  I  passed  thro'  the  town  of 
Darby,  about  an  hour  before  sunset. 

Chester 

About  the  time  of  the  sun's  going  down,  the  air 
turned  very  sharp,  it  being  a  degree  of  frost.  I  ar- 
rived in  Chester,  about  half  an  hour  after  seven, 
riding  into  town  in  company  with  an  Irish  Teague 
who  overtook  me  on  the  road.  Here  I  put  up  at 
one  Mather's,  an  Irishman,  at  the  sign  of  the  Ship. 

At  my  seeing  of  the  city  of  Philadelphia,  I  con- 
ceived a  quite  different  notion  of  both  city  and  in- 
habitants from  that  which  I  had  before  from  the 
account  or  description  of  others.  I  could  not  ap- 
prehend this  city  to  be  so  very  elegant  or  pretty  as 
it  is  commonly  represented.  In  its  present  situ- 
ation it  is  much  like  one  of  our  country  market 
towns  in  England.  When  you  are  in  it  the  majority 
of  the  buildings  appear  low  and  mean,  the  streets 
unpaved,  and  therefore  full  of  rubbish  and  mire. 
It  makes  but  an  indifferent  appearance  at  a  dis- 
tance, there  being  no  turrets  or  steeples  to  set  it  off 
to  advantage,  but  I  believe  that  in  a  few  years  hence 
it  will  be  a  great  and  flourishing  place,  and  the 
chief  city  in  North  America. 

The  people  are  much  more  polite,  generally 
speaking,  than  I  apprehended  them  to  be  from  the 
common  account  of  travellers.    They  have  that  ac- 


237 


complishment,  peculiar  to  all  our  American  Colo- 
nies; viz.,  subtlety  and  craft  in  their  dealings. 
They  apply  themselves  strenuously  to  business,  hav- 
ing little  or  no  turn  towards  gayety  (and  I  know 
not  indeed  how  they  should,  since  there  are  few 
people  here  of  independent  fortunes  or  of  high  lux- 
urious taste).  Drinking  here  is  not  at  all  in  vogue, 
and  in  the  place  there  is  pretty  good  company  and 
conversation  to  be  had.  It  is  a  degree  politer  than 
New  York,  tho'  in  its  fabrick  not  so  urbane,  but 
Boston  excels  both  for  politeness  and  urbanity,  tho' 
only  a  town. 

Thursday,  September  26th.— 1  set  out  at  nine 
o'clock  from  Mather's  and  about  two  miles  from 
Chester  was  overtaken  by  a  Quaker,  one  of  the 
politest  and  best  behaved  of  that  kidney  ever  I  had 
met  with.  We  had  a  deal  of  discourse  about  news 
and  politicks,  and  after  riding  four  miles  together 
we  parted. 

I  now  entered  the  confines  of  the  three-notched 
road,  by  which  I  knew  I  was  near  Maryland.  Im- 
mediately upon  this  something  ominous  happened, 
which  was  my  man's  tumbling  down,  plump,  two  or 
three  times,  horse  and  baggage  and  all,  in  the  mid- 
dle of  a  plain  road.  I,  likewise,  could  not  help 
thinking  that  my  state  of  health  was  changed  for 
the  worse  upon  it. 

Wilmington 

Within  a  mile  of  Wilmington  I  met  Mr.  Neilson 
of  Philadelphia,  who  told  me  some  little  scraps  of 
news  from  Annapolis. 

238 


Christin  Ferry— Newcastle 


I  CROSSED  Christin  Ferry  at  twelve  o'clock,  and  at 
two  o'clock  I  dined  at  Griffith's  in  Newcastle,  and 
had  some  chat  with  a  certain  virtuoso  of  the  town 
who  came  in  after  dinner.  I  departed  thence  at 
half  an  hour  after  three,  and  about  a  mile  from  town 
I  met  a  monstrous  appearance,  by  much  the  greatest 
wonder  and  prodigy  I  had  seen  in  my  travels,  and 
every  whit  as  strange  a  sight  by  land  as  a  mermaid 
is  at  sea.  It  was  a  carter  driving  his  cart  along 
the  road,  who  seemed  to  be  half  man,  half  woman. 
All  above  from  the  crown  of  his  head  to  the  girdle 
seemed  quite  masculine,  the  creature  having  a  great 
hideous  unshorn  black  beard  and  strong  coarse  fea- 
tures, a  slouch  hat,  cloth  jacket,  and  great  brawny 
fists,  but  below  the  girdle  there  was  nothing  to  be 
seen  but  petticoats,  a  white  apron,  and  the  exact 
shape  of  a  woman  with  relation  to  broad  round 
buttocks.  I  would  have  given  something  to  have 
seen  this  creature  turned  topsy-turvy,  to  have 
known  whether  or  not  it  was  an  hermaphrodite, 
having  often  heard  of  such  animals,  but  never  hav- 
ing seen  any  to  my  knowledge ;  but  I  thought  it  most 
prudent  to  pass  by  peaceably,  asking  no  questions, 
lest  it  should  prove  the  devil  in  disguise. 

Some  miles  farther  I  met  two  handsome  country 
girls,  and  inquired  the  road  of  them.  One  seemed 
fearful,  and  the  other  was  very  forward  and  brisk. 
I  liked  the  humour  and  vivacity  of  the  latter,  and 
lighted  from  my  horse  as  if  I  had  been  going  to 
salute  her ;  but  they  both  set  up  a  scream  and  ran  oflf 
like  wild  bucks  into  the  woods. 

I  stopped  this  night  at  one  Van  Bibber's,  a  house 


239 


twelve  miles  from  Newcastle.  The  landlady  here 
affected  to  be  a  great  wit,  but  the  landlord  was  a 
heavy  lubber  of  Dutch  pedigree.  The  woman  pre- 
tended to  be  jealous  of  her  husband  with  two  ugly 
old  maids  that  were  there ;  one  of  whom  was  named 
Margaret,  who  told  me  she  was  born  in  Dundee  in 
Scotland,  and  asked  me  if  ever  I  had  drunk  my 
Dundee  swats  out  of  twa-lugged  bickers.  (Ale  out 
of  two-eared  cups.)  These  two  old  maids  would  sit, 
one  at  each  side  of  Van  Bibber  and  tease  him,  while 
his  wife  pretended  to  scold  all  the  time,  as  if  she  was 
jealous,  and  he  would  look  like  a  goose. 

There  were  in  this  house  a  certain  Irish  Teague, 
and  one  Gilpin,  a  dweller  in  Maryland.  The 
Teague  and  Gilpin  lay  in  one  bed  upon  the  floor, 
and  I  in  a  lofty  bedstead  by  myself.  Gilpin  and  I 
talked  over  politicks  and  news  relating  to  Mary- 
land, while  we  were  in  bed,  before  we  went  to  sleep, 
and  our  discourse  was  interlaced  with  hideous  yawn- 
ings,  like  two  tired  and  weary  travellers,  till  at  last 
the  nodding  deity  took  hold  of  us  in  the  middle  of 
half-uttered  words  and  broken  sentences.  My  rest 
was  broken  and  interrupted,  for  the  Teague  made  a 
hideous  noise  in  coming  to  bed,  and  as  he  tossed 
and  turned  kept  still  ejaculating  either  an  ohon  or 
sweet  Jesus. 

Friday,  September  21st.— 1  was  waked  early  this 
morning  by  the  groanings,  ohons,  and  yawnings  of 
our  Teague,  who  every  now  and  then  gaped  fear- 
fully, bawling  out,  "O  sweet  Jesus !"  in  a  mournful, 
melodious  accent;  in  short  he  made  as  much  noise 
between  sleeping  and  waking  as  half  a  dozen  hogs 


240 


in  a  little  pen  could  have  done;  but  Mr.  Gilpin,  his 
bedfellow,  was  started  and  gone. 

Maryland— Bohemia 

I  TOOK  horse  at  nine  o'clock,  and  arrived  at  Bohemia 
at  twelve.  I  called  at  the  manor-house,  and  dined 
there  with  Miss  Coursey.  She  and  I  went  in  the 
afternoon  to  visit  Colonel  Colville,^  and  returned 
home  betwixt  eight  and  nine  at  night. 

Saturday,  September  2 2d. — I  rid  this  morning  with 
Miss  Coursey  to  visit  Bouchelle,  the  famous  Yaw 
doctor,  who  desired  me  to  come  and  prescribe  for 
his  wife,  who  had  got  an  hysterick  palpitation,  or 
as  they  called  it  a  wolf  in  her  heart.  I  stayed  and 
dined  with  him,  and  there  passed  a  deal  of  conver- 
sation between  us.  I  found  the  man  much  more 
knowing  than  I  expected  from  the  common  char- 
acter I  had  heard  of  him.  He  seemed  to  me  a 
modest  young  fellow,  not  insensible  of  his  depth  in 
physical  literature,  neither  quite  deficient  in  natural 
sense  and  parts.  His  wife  having  desired  my  ad- 
vice I  gave  it,  and  was  thanked  by  the  husband  and 
herself  for  the  favour  of  my  visit. 

There  was  there  an  old  comical  fellow  named 
Millner,  who  went  by  the  name  of  doctor.  He  was 
busy  making  a  pan  of  melilot  plaster,  and  seemed 
to  have  a  great  conceit  of  his  own  learning.  He 
gave  us  a  history  of  one  Du  Witt,  a  doctor  at  Phila- 
delphia, who  he  said  had  begun  the  world  in  the 

1  Col.  Thomas  Colville,  one  of  the  commissioners  appointed  in  1744  to 
make  a  treaty  with  the  Six  Nations. 


241 


honourable  station  of  a  porter,  and  used  to  drive  a 
turnip  cart  or  wheelbarrow  thro'  the  streets.  This 
old  fellow  was  very  inquisitive  with  me,  but  I  did 
not  incline  much  to  satisfy  his  curiosity.  He  asked 
me  if  Miss  Coursey  was  my  wife.  After  dinner  we 
returned  homewards. 

Sunday,  September  2^d.  — There  came  up  a  furious 
northwest  wind  this  morning,  which  prevented  my 
setting  off,  as  I  intended,  knowing  that  I  could  not 
cross  the  ferries.  I  was  shaved  by  an  Irish  barber, 
whose  hand  was  so  heavy  that  he  had  almost  flayed 
my  chin  and  head.  Miss  Coursey  and  I  dined  by 
ourselves,  and  at  four  o'clock  we  walked  to  Colonel 
Colville's,  where  we  spent  the  evening  agreeably, 
and  returned  home  at  eight  o'clock,  the  night  being 
cold  and  blustering  and  the  wind  in  our  teeth. 

Monday,  September  24th.— It  seemed  to  threaten  to 
blow  hard  this  morning,  but  the  wind  changing  to 
south  before  twelve  o'clock,  it  began  to  moderate 
and  I  had  hopes  of  getting  over  Elk  Ferry.  I  dined 
with  Miss  Coursey  at  Colonel  Colville's,  and  set  out 
from  there  at  three  o'clock,  intending  at  night  for 
Northeast. 

On  the  road  here,  at  one  Altum's,  who  keeps  pub- 
lick  house  at  Elk  Ferry,  I  met  with  my  Irish  barber, 
who  had  operated  upon  my  chin  at  Bohemia,  who 
had  almost  surfeited  me  with  his  palaver.  I  had 
some  learned  conversation  with  my  ingenious  friend 
Terence,  the  ferry-man,  and  as  we  went  along  the 
road,  the  barber  would  fain  have  persuaded  me  to 
go  to  Parson  Wye's  to  stay  that  night,  which  I  re- 
fused, and  so  we  took  leave  of  one  another. 


242 


I  went  the  rest  of  the  way  in  the  company  of  a 
man  who  told  me  he  was  a  carter,  a  horse-jockey, 
a  farmer,— all  three.  He  asked  me  if  I  had  heard 
anything  of  the  wars  in  my  travels,  and  told  me  he 
heard  that  the  Queen  of  Sheba,  or  some  such  other 
queen,  had  sent  a  great  assistance  to  the  King  of 
England,  and  that  if  all  was  true  that  was  said  of 
it,  they  would  certainly  kill  all  the  French  and  Span- 
iards before  Christmas  next. 


Northeast 

Talking  of  these  matters  with  this  unfinished  poli- 
tician, I  arrived  at  Northeast  at  seven  o'clock  at 
night,  and  put  up  at  one  Smith's  there.  After  sup- 
per I  overheard  a  parcel  of  superficial  philosophers 
in  the  kitchen,  talking  of  knotty  points  in  religion 
over  a  mug  of  cider.  One  chap,  among  the  rest, 
seemed  to  confound  the  whole  company  with  a  show 
of  learning,  which  was  nothing  but  a  puff  of  clown- 
ish pedantry.    I  went  to  bed  at  ten  o'clock. 


Susquehanna  Ferry 

Tuesday,  September  2^th.—l  departed  Northeast 
this  morning  at  nine  o'clock.  The  sky  was  dark 
and  cloudy,  threatening  rain.  I  had  a  solitary  ride 
over  an  unequal,  gravelly  road  till  I  came  to  Sus- 
quehanna Ferry,  where  I  baited  my  horses,  and  had 
a  ready  passage,  but  was  taken  with  a  vapourish 
qualm  in  the  ferry-boat,  which  went  off  after  two 
or  three  miles'  riding. 


243 


I  dined  at  my  old  friend  Tradaway's,  whom  I 
found  very  much  indisposed  with  fevers.  He  told 
me  it  had  been  a  very  unhealthy  time  and  a  hot 
summer.  I  should  have  known  the  time  had  been 
unhealthy  without  his  telling  me  so,  by  only  observ- 
ing the  washed  countenances  of  the  people  standing 
at  their  doors,  and  looking  out  at  their  windows, 
for  they  looked  like  so  many  staring  ghosts.  In 
short  I  was  sensible  I  had  got  into  Maryland,  for 
every  house  was  an  infirmary,  according  to  ancient 
custom. 

JOPPA 

I  ARRIVED  at  Joppa  at  half  an  hour  after  five  o'clock, 
and  putting  up  at  Brown's,  I  went  and  paid  a  visit 
to  the  parson  and  his  wife,  who  were  both  com- 
plaining, or  grunting  (as  the  country  phrase  is), 
and  had  undergone  the  penance  of  this  blessed  cli- 
mate, having  been  harassed  with  fevers  ever  since 
the  beginning  of  August.  I  took  my  leave  of  them 
at  eight  o'clock,  and  supped  with  my  landlord. 

Gunpowder  Ferry— Newtown 

Wednesday,  September  26th. — This  morning  proved 
very  sharp  and  cool.  I  got  over  Gunpowder  Ferry 
by  ten  o'clock,  and  rid  solitary  to  Newtown  upon 
Patapscoe, where  I  dined  at  Rogers's^  and  saw  some 
of  my  acquaintances. 

1  Roger's  Tavern,  situated  in  New  Towiie  (Jones  Town),  on  the  north- 
west corner  of  Baltimore  and  Light  Streets,  kept  by  William  Rogers,  who 
took  lot  No.  42  in  1738. 


244 


Patapscoe  Ferry 


I  CROSSED  Patapscoe  Ferry  at  four  o'clock,  and  went 
to  Mr.  Hart's,  where  I  stayed  that  night.  We 
talked  over  old  stories,  and  held  a  conference  some 
time  with  a  certain  old  midwife  there,  one  Mrs. 
Harrison,  and  having  finished  our  consultations,  we 
went  to  bed  at  ten  o'clock. 

Thursday,  September  2yth.—l  set  off  from  Mr. 
Hart's  a  little  after  nine  o'clock,  and  baited  at 
More's,  where  I  met  with  some  patients  that  wel- 
comed me  on  my  return. 

Annapolis 

I  ARRIVED  at  Annapolis  at  two  o'clock  afternoon, 
and  so  ended  my  peregrinations. 

In  these  my  northern  travels  I  compassed  my  de- 
sign, in  obtaining  a  better  state  of  health,  which  was 
the  purpose  of  my  journey.  I  found  but  little  dif- 
ference in  the  manners  and  character  of  the  people 
in  the  different  Provinces  I  passed  thro' ;  but  as  to 
constitutions  and  complexions,  air  and  government, 
I  found  some  variety.  Their  forms  of  government 
in  the  northern  Provinces  I  look  upon  to  be  much 
better  and  happier  than  ours,  which  is  a  poor,  sickly, 
convulsed  State.  Their  air  and  living  to  the  north- 
ward is  likewise  much  preferable,  and  the  people  of 
a  more  gigantick  size  and  make.  At  Albany,  in- 
deed, they  are  entirely  Dutch,  and  have  a  method  of 
living  something  differing  from  the  English. 


245 


In  this  itineration  I  compleated,  by  land  and 
water  together,  a  course  of  1624  miles.  The  north- 
ern parts  I  found  in  general  much  better  settled 
than  the  southern.  As  to  politeness  and  humanity 
they  are  much  alike,  except  in  the  great  towns, 
where  the  inhabitants  are  more  civilized,  especially 
at  Boston. 

FINIS 


246 


^  'Vwizi  firy^  ^..uA^iir,  l-l^  >yv^.^->.^ 


y\-  e«7^^^^»H^->t^  


{f^romH/r^tXA,  ^  ttt^o-A.  iy*.^o^  ^  ^  -^i^-cc^  &tcjlf<^  c*^!^ 

S^<»yjf^^j^U^    "ffciui^.  C^^A>ln$^    >t/^cX         6l  ^U^-xJ-r- 

l^^.g  ^  ^.^c^  ('i.Jt^ AJ^e^  ii^ 

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a^4^v^.^  *   ^  , 


INDEX 


INDEX 


Aaron,  rod  of,  218 
Abraham,  seed  of,  218 
Acapulco,  ship  of,  221 
Albany,  seen  at  distance,  73 ;  ar- 
rives at,  74 ;  school  at,  78 ;  doc- 
tors of,  79 ;  town  house  of,  80 ; 
description  of,  86;  manner  of 
living,  245 
Alexander,  stopping  place,  12 
Alexander,  Collector,  20;  dines 
with,  26,  28 ;  host,  232 ;  com- 
panion, 233 ;  host,  234,  236 ; 
took  leave  of,  236 
Almanza,  battle  of,  83 
Altum's,  meets  barber  at,  242 
Anabaptists,  at  tavern,  22 ; 

church  of,  24 
Ancrum,  on  the  Hudson,  70 
Anderson,  Doctor,  and  acquain- 
tance, 10 
Angell's  tavern,  dined  at,  182 
Animals,  skunk,  76 ;  cow,  81 ; 
sheep,  150;  geese,  155;  fox, 
165 ;     white     monkey,     170 ; 
horses,  209;  cat,  172;  bedbugs, 
184;  cows,  194;  crocodile,  206; 
mare  and  colt,  208 
Annapolis,  departure  from,   i ; 
letters  sent  to,  2 ;  officials  criti- 
cised, 3 ;  acquaintance  from, 
26;  sent  letters  to,  134;  woman 
of,  232 ;  news  from,  233 ;  com- 
mission to,  236;  news  from, 
238;  returned  to,  245 
Annapolis  Royal,  attacked  by 

French,  127 
Anne,  Queen,  war  of,  116,  230 
Anthony,  keeper  of  Whitehall, 
187;  daughter  of,  188 


Anthony's  Nose,  so  named  from 
its  appearance,  65 ;  passed,  94 

Antigua,  gentleman  from,  96 

Apples,  213 

Arabia,  Desert  of,  113 

Arbuthnot,  letters  to,  132 ;  dis- 
putes with,  133 ;  host,  169 

Aristotle,  rules  of,  235 

Arncaple,  Scotch  family,  85 

Art,  works  of,  124,  139,  220 

Ascough,  Dr.  John,  dined  with, 
105  ;  flees  at  sight  of  peas,  105 

Astronomy,  104 

Astruc,  French  medical  writer, 
105 

Auctioneer,  136 

Babel,  Tower  of,  shape  and  size 
of,  61 ;  Van  Bummill  on,  67 

Bacchus,  sign  of,  11 1;  allusion 
to,  206 

Baker,  Matthew,  a  horse-jockey,3 
Baker,  keeper  of  ferry,  48;  de- 
tained at,  108;  calls  at,  214 
Baltimore,  Lord,  31 
Baltimore  Town,  on  the  road,  3 
Banff,  Lord,  in  Virginia,  97 
Barbadoes,  Hasell  a  native  of,  i ; 
news  from,  22 ;  Doctor  of,  223, 
227 

Barber,  patronized,  233,  236,  242 
Barberries,  195 

Barclay,  Rev.  Henry,  church  of, 
77 

Barker,  left  horses  at,  158 
Barker's  Tavern,  see  note,  129 
Barklay,  Dean,  contributions  of, 

174,  188;  house  of,  188 
Bayard,  Stephen,  host,  53,  103, 


249 


» 


104;   disobeyed   about  green 
peas,  105 ;  angry,  io6;  dines 
with  brother  of,  212;  calls, 
214;    host,    215;    calls,  220; 
brother,  224,  227 
Beacon  Hill,  pleasant  part,  129 
Bedding's,  lodging  place,  206 
Benedict  Town,  reference  to,  126 
Berwick,  Duke  of,  a  generous 

captor,  83 
Betty,  a  beauty,  no 
Beveridge's  "Thoughts"  burned, 
197 

Bible,  controversy  on,  40;  in 
Dutch  church,  60;  Scripture 
quoted,  61 ;  Van  Bummill 
reads  from,  64 

Binning,  Captain,  11 

Blackater,  Mrs.,  countrywoman, 
163;  daughters  of,  166;  at 
meeting,  170;  hostess,  175 

Bladen,  Governor,  health  drank, 
50 

Block  Island,  to  westward,  125 
Blood,  Captain,  dined  with,  82; 

visited.  83 ;  drank  with,  84 
Blood,  Thomas,  a  noted  Irish- 
man, 83 
Blue  Hills,  on  the  road,  128; 

view  of,  148 
Blue  Mountains,  see  Catskills,  70 
Bodineau,  many  girls  of,  168 
Boerhaave,  Prof.  Herman,  teacher 
at    Leyden,   62,    105 ;  talked 
of,  160,  161,  162;  Douglass  on, 
168;  a  drunken  doctor  on,  220 
Bohemia,  took  road  to,  i ;  Hasell 
goes  to,  2 ;  arrives  at,  9 ;  ferry, 
9 ;  returns  to,  11,  241 
Bond,  Eliah,  tavern  oiE,  36,  231 
Bond,   Dr.   Phineas,  host,  23; 

meets,  233 
Bond,  Dr.  Thomas,  meets,  21 ; 

dined  with,  21 ;  visited,  233 
Bonharnois,  Governor  of  Can- 
ada, 73 

Bon  Vit,  assumed  name  of  Bon- 
harnois, 74 

Books,  Montaigne's  Essays,  22 ; 
Don  Quixote,  23 ;  The  Adven- 
tures of  Joseph  Andrews,  26; 


Rollin's  Belles  Lettres,  85; 
Quevedo's  Visions,  116;  Spen- 
ser's Faerie  Queene,  119;  Tac- 
itus, 137;  Ovid's  Art  of  Love, 
137;  Homer,  142;  Murcius(?), 
187;  Homer's  Iliad,  219; 
Shakespeare,  232,  235 
Boston,  men  of  at  New  York, 
97;  arrived  at,  129;  meets  gen- 
tlemen of,  157 ;  description  of, 
177;  women  of,  179;  departed 
from,  180;  papers  from,  215; 
news  from,  221 ;  civilization 
of,  246 

Boswall,  Mrs.,  host,  51 ;  meets 
handsome  woman  at,  52 ;  guests 
of,  53 ;  at  tea,  55 ;  drank  tea 
with,  56 

Bouchelle,  Dr.,  a  cure-all,  205 ; 
Yaw  doctor,  241 

Bourdillon,  returns  from  voy- 
age, 216;  at  Todd's,  217,  218; 
at  coffee  house,  219 ;  at  Todd's, 
221 

Boyd,  Scotch-Irish  peddler,  196 
Branford,  on  the  road,  202 
Brazier.  Edward,  at  Castle,  171 
Brett,  Dr.  John,  facetious,  124; 

host,  191 
Brewster,  nothing  to  eat  at,  112 
Bridges,  Rye,  209;  stone,  202; 

toll,  199;  wooden,  18 
Bristol,  on  the  road,  34;  small 

trading  town,   126 ;  returned 

to,  183 ;  ferry  at,  183 ;  arrived 

at,  231 

Brookhaven,  on  the  road,  in 

Brown,  comical  fellow,  42 

Brown,  keeper  of  a  boat,  115 

Brown,  Rev.  Arthur,  letter  to, 
153;  host,  153,  155 

Brown,  William,  beautiful  coun- 
try seat,  147;  out  of  town,  157 

Brown's  Tavern,  at  Joppa,  3 ;  re- 
turned to,  244 

Brunswick,  on  the  Raritan,  43 ; 
returned  to,  230 

Buchanan,  dined  at,  iir 

Buikhaut,  Kaen,  and  eighteen 
children,  95 

Bull,  Captain,  droll  man,  190 


250 


Burden,  a  Quaker,  host,  125,  183 
Burlington,  town  of  East  Jersey, 

Burnet,  William,  Governor,  147 
Burton,  author,  120 
Butter  Mountain,  along  the  Hud- 
son, 67 

Buttermilk  Island,  romantic  place, 
93 

B — r,  gave  directions,  8 
B — t,  old  rogue,  15 

Cadwaller  (Cadwallader),  Dr. 
Thomas,  characterizes  Jersey 
Government,  36;  on  religious 
sects,  37;  at  supper,  231 

Calvert,  Charles,  late  Governor, 
236 

Cambridge,  plans  to  visit,  136; 
visit  postponed,  139,  162,  163, 
171 ;  visited,  173 ;  described, 
173  ;  return  from,  174 

Candles,  218 

Cannon,  232 

Cansoe,  captured  by  French,  82; 

officers  from,  136 
Cape  Anne,  view  of,  154,  156 
Cape  Breton,  expedition  to,  140 
Cape  of  Good  Hope,  189 
Cape  Sable  Indians,  127,  138 
Captain  of  tobacco  ship,  2 
Cardevitz,  asks  medical  advice, 

69  . 

Carmine,  Island,  now  Hotaling 

Island,  71 
Case,  stopped  at,  120;  library  of, 

120;  departed  from,  122,  194 
Castle,  54,  130;  visited,  174 
Castle  Island,  130 
Catholics,  at  tavern,  22.   See  also 

Religions 
Catskill,  mountains,  or  Blue 

Mountains,  70;  hills,  71,  91 
Cervantes,  discussed,  23 
Change,  public  rendezvous,  130 
Charles  II  bestowed  estate,  74 
Charlestown,  location  of,  130; 

visits,  143 
Cheese,   Rhode   Island  famous 

for,  191 
Chesapeake  Bay,  avoided,  i 


Chester,  compared  with  Chelsea, 
18 

Chester,  Ferry,  stopping-place 
at,  10;  State-house  at,  18;  ar- 
rived at,  237 
Choat's  Tavern,  a  good  house, 
151;  dined  with  Boston  gen- 
tlemen at,  156 
Christin  Ferry,  crossed,  239 
Churches.   See  Public  buildings 
Churchmen,  at  tavern,  22 
Cicero,  allusion  to,  48 
Clackenbridge,  verbose,  176 
Clark,  Miss,  pleased  in  looks,  190 
Clark,  Dr.  John,  letter  to,  140;  a 
genius,  160;  guest,  164;  thinks 
for  himself,  168 ;  intended  com- 
panion, 169 
Clay,  Th.,  host,  11 
Clergy:    Barclay,    Henry,  77; 
Brown,  Arthur,  153;  Daven- 
port, James,  197 ;  Holyoke,  Ed- 
ward, 173;  Hooper,  William, 
130;  Malcolm,  Alexander,  144; 
Miln,   John,  57 ;  Pemberton, 
224;    Philips,    175;  Rogers, 
John,  149;  Rou,  Louis,  221; 
Whitefield,  John,  8;  Wye,  9; 
of  Maryland,  3;  criticised,  4; 
Mr.  D — n,  3 ;  as  companion, 
18 ;  Presbyterian,  31 ;  strange 
minister,  53 ;  an  old  don,  98 ; 
questions  about,  198;  an  old 
holder-forth,  234 
Cleveland,  of  Scots  parentage, 
114 

Clinton,  Governor  George,  health 
drank,  50;  returning  from  Al- 
bany, 70;  rumors  reach,  80, 
97 ;  a  jolly  toper,  106 

Clock,  mentioned,  202,  203,  205 

Clowns,  199 

Clubs :  Drunken,  5  ;  Governour's, 
23,  30,  234;  Hungarian,  49, 
100,  106,  215;  Music,  236; 
Philosophical  Society,  23,  185 ; 
Physical,  140;  Scots'  Quarterly 
Society,  162;  Selfish,  218 

Cockburn's  tavern,  in  Philadel- 
phia, 19,  232,  233,  236 

Coffin,  from  Boston,  126 


Cohoos  Falls  visited,  76 

Colchoun  (Colhoun,  Dr.  Alex- 
ander), surgeon  at  the  fort, 
49;  called,  51;  host,  55;  back- 
gammon with,  55 ;  at  concert 
with,  57 

Collins,  surveyor,  78;  dined  with, 
82 

Colville,  Colonel,  visited,  241,  242 
Conannicut,  Island,  at  distance, 

120,  121;  ferry  crossed,  122; 

passage  to,  194 
Conestogo,  40 

Coney  Island,  on  the  road,  47 
Connecticut,   seen   at  distance, 
III;   River,  on  return,  199; 
leaves  state,  209 
Constantine  the  Great,  quoted,  32 
Constitution  Island,  93 
Cook's   Island    (lona),  burial- 
place  of  a  cook,  65,  94 
Corson,  served  fried  clams,  46 
Cosby,  William,  late  Governor,  59 
Coursey,  Miss,  dines  with,  12, 

241,  242 
Cristin,  ferry  crossed,  16 
Crowd,  musical  instrument,  re- 
ferred to.  6 
Crown  jewels,  83 
Cuckold's  Town,  Staten  Island, 
46 

Cume's,  Mrs.,  takes  lodgings  at, 
21 ;  takes  tea  with,  27,  30 ; 
meets  church  lady,  30;  host, 
232,  235 

Curacao,  gentleman  from,  56, 216 
Currency,  discussion  of,  179 
Currie,  at  tavern,  22 ;  companion, 

34 ;  dined  with,  232,  236 
Curtis's  tavern,  sign  of  Indian 

King,  13 ;  landlady  at,  14 
Cashing,  Matthew,  librarian  of 

Harvard,  173 
Cuyler     (Kuyler),  Cornelius, 

Mayor  of  Albany,  79;  dined 

with,  82 
C — se,  Parson  of  Maryland,  62 

Dancing,  25,  178 

Dancing  Hall,  dancers  killed  by 
Indians,  67 


Darby,  on  the  road,  237 

Davenport,  Rev.  James,  preach- 
ing of,  197 

David,  King,  quoted,  61 

Dedham,  start  for,  126;  arrived 
at,  128;  returned  to,  180 

Delancey,  James,  Chief  Justice, 
96,  212,  215 

Delaware,  ferry  crossed,  35 ; 
river,  13 ;  ferry,  231 

Demosthenes,  allusion  to,  48 

De  Peyster,  Abraham,  guest  of 
at  club,  100 

Derby,  stopping  place,  18 

Dick  of  Noye,  202 

Diseases:  Ague,  193,233;  cancer, 
205;  fever,  193,  244;  hysterics, 
217;  rheumatism,  57;  small- 
pox, 30 

Doctors :  Astruc,  Jean,  105 ;  Ays- 
cough,  John,  105;  Boerhaave, 
Herman,  62;  Bond,  Phineas, 
23 ;  Bond,  Thomas,  21 ;  Bou- 
chelle,  205;  Brett,  John,  124; 
Cadwallader,  Thomas,  36; 
Clark,  John,  140;  Colhoun,  Al- 
exander, 49;  Douglass,  Wil- 
liam, 132;  Du  Witt,  241;  Far- 
quhar,  43 ;  Gardiner,  Sylvester, 
175;  Goddard,  196;  Heister, 
Lorenz,  167;  Hull,  115;  Keith, 
124;  Magraw,  John,  loi ; 
Mann,  102 ;  Millner,  241 ;  Miln, 
John,  58;  Mitchell,  233  ;  Mof- 
fatt,  Thomas,  124 ;  Pitcairn, 
162;  Roseboom,  80;  Salmon, 
27;  Spencer,  232;  Thompson, 
Adam,  36 ;  Zachary,  Lloyd,  28 ; 
name  not  given,  no,  181 

Dodonoeus,  Rumpertus,  author, 
81 

Doepper's   (Potladle,  Polopel), 

Island,  67,  93 
Domper,  215 

Don  Manuel,  Spaniard,  191 
Don  Quixote,  by  Cervantes,  23 
Dougherty's,    public    house  at 

Newtown.  10 
Doughty's  Tavern,  210;  daugh- 
ter, 211 

Douglass,  Dr.  William,  meets, 


252 


132,  136;  a  critic,  142,  160,  162; 
at  Society,  162 ;  harangue  of, 
167;  criticised,  168;  writings 
of,  179;  mentioned  in  letter, 
222 

Douw,  Volckert,  nothing  but 
Dutch,  86 ;  devout,  91 ;  a  shal- 
low man,  96 

Dream,  206 

Drillincourt's  "On  Death" 

burned,  197 
Dromo,  servant,  27 ;  questioned, 

36;  and  Dutch  negro  girl,  47, 

59 ;  at  the  cable,  95 ;  talks  to 

skipper,  122 ;  his  room,  145 ; 

frightens  children,  205 
Dubois,  Abraham,  a  Jew,  39 ; 

discusses  religion,  40 
Duchand's  Tavern,  117,  196 
Dulancie  (Delancey),  Oliver, 

house  of.  62,  96 
Dulany,  Daniel,  of  Maryland,  84 
Dumplin's  rocks,  122 
Dundee,  Lord,  fell  in  battle,  81 
Dunder  Barrack  (Dunderberg), 

65 

Dutch,  at  tavern,  22;  character 
of,  87;  Island,  122;  war  with 
France,  215 

Du  Witt,  doctor  of  Philadelphia, 
241 

D — n,  minister  at  Joppa,  3 
D — gs,  a  virtuoso,  4 

Elias,  allusion  to,  189 
Elizabethtown  Point,  on  the  road, 

227 ;  pass,  228 
Elk,  Ferry,  crossed,  8;  head  of 

the,  12,  242 
English,  at  tavern,  22 ;  church, 

24;  character  of  ministers,  31 
Enos,  allusion  to,  189 
Epitaph,  99 

Fairfield,  on  the  road,  204 
Faneuil  Hall,  visited,  135 
Fanenil,  Peter,  presented  hall  to 

public,  13s 
Fanning,  breakfast  at,  113 
Farquhar,  Dr.,  called,  43 
Feke,  Robert,  painter,  124 


Ferry,  Patapscoe,  2 ;  Gunpowder, 
3 ;  Susquehanna,  7 ;  Elk,  8 ; 
Bohemia,  9;  Sassafrax,  10 ; 
Cristin,  16,  239;  Skuylkill,  19; 
Raritan,  43 ;  Narrows,  46 ;  New 
York,  47;  Conannicut,  122; 
Rhode  Island,  122 ;  Salem,  149 ; 
Newbury,  156;  Lower,  158; 
Charlestown,  174;  Providence, 
183;  Bristol,  183;  Rhode  Is- 
land, 183;  Connanicut,  194; 
Narragansett,  194 ;  New  Lon- 
don, 196;  Niantic,  198;  Say- 
brook,  200;  New  Haven,  202; 
Stratford,  204 ;  Delaware,  231 ; 
Shammany,  232 ;  Skuylkill,  237 ; 
Susquehanna,  243 ;  Gunpow- 
der, 244 

Fielding,  book  by,  26 

Fisher's  Island,  on  the  route,  117 

Fisher's  Tavern,  sees  Betty,  180 

Five  Nations,  40 

Flanders,  215 

Flat's  tavern,  kept  by  Irishman, 
no 

Fletcher,  Captain,  of  Annapolis, 

141 ;  host,  141,  164 
Fly,  under  the  microscope,  194 
Food,  mentioned,  56,  89,  94,  108, 

116,  134,  142,  165,  208,  210, 

211,  212,  232 
Foord's,  stopping  place,  16 
Fork,  eastern  end  of  the  island, 

"3 

Fort,  154,  192 

Fort  Constitution,  154 

Fort  William  and  Mary,  154 

Francis,  Tench,  a  musician,  236 

Frazer,  in  Branford,  host,  202 

Freemasons,  21 

French  priest,  pursued  by  In- 
dians, 74 

French  war,  anticipated,  22.  See 
War 

Games,  55,  57,  217,  218 
Gardiner,  Boston  merchant,  196 
Gardiner,  Dr.  Sylvester,  host,  175 
Gardiner's  Island,  to  the  north- 
east, 116 
Gensing,  described,  4 ;  looked  for ,7 


Gentiles,  swine-eaters,  114 
George,  Indian  King,  119 
Germans,  at  tavern.  22 
Gibbs's,  breakfasted  at,  204 
Gilford,  201 ;  passed  through,  202 
Gilman,  Newlightman,  143 
Gilpin,  of  Mar>land,  240,  241 
Glasgow,  reference  to,  85 
Goat  Island,  note,  123 
Goddard,  Dr.,  another  guest,  196 
Gooch,  William,  Governor  of 

Virginia,  97 
Government,  discussion  of,  33, 

36,  107,  155,  177,  192 
Governors  :  Bonharnois,  of  Can- 
ada, 73  ;  Bladen,  50 ;  Burnet, 
William,  147 ;  Calvert,  Charles, 
236 ;  Clinton,  George,  50 ;  Cosby, 
William,  59;  Gooch,  William, 
97 ;  Greene,  William,  193  ;  Mor- 
ris, Lewis,  35 ;  Philips,  Rich- 
ard,   167;    Shirley,  William, 
177;    Thomas,    George,  28; 
Wentworth,  Benning,  153 
Governour's  Club,  guest  at,23, 234 
Grain,  cultivated,  12,  16 
Grant,  a  Scotch  gentleman,  185 ; 

host,  187,  191 
Grapes,  213 

Green,  Deacon,  host,  198 
Green,  son  of  Deacon,  197 
Green,  Jonas,  at  Annapolis,  198 
Greenberry's  Point,  121 
Greene,  William,  Governor  R.  I., 
193 

Greenwitch,  on  the  Hudson,  61, 
96 

Grey,  host,  160 

Grierson,  uncle  of  Dr.  Magraw, 

lOI 

Griffin's  stopping  place.  156 
Griffith,-of  Rhode  Island,  214 ;  239 
Guneau,    Mrs.,    lodging  place, 
129,  132,  134,  140,  142;  returns 
to,  158;  lodges  at,  160,  163 
Gunpowder  Ferry,  on  the  road, 

3 ;  crossed,  244 
Gut,  crossed,  116,  198 

Hageman,  Adrien,  City  Recorder, 
96;  at  dinner,  212 


Hake's  Tavern,  guest  at,  181 
Hamilton,  Doctor  Alexander,  be 
gins  journey,  i ;  purpose  of,  i  ; 
meets  Hart,  i ;  misses  Hasell, 
2 ;  guest  of  Hart,  2 ;  overtaken 
by  Captain,  2 ;  crosses  ferry,  2 ; 
at  Baltimore  town,  3 ;  Joppa, 
3  ;  gave  advice,  3  ;  encounters 
minister,  3 ;  meets  philosopher, 
4 ;  drunken  club,  5 ;  looks  for 
ginseng,  7;  meets  Latin  stu- 
dent, 9 ;  meets  parson,  9 ;  meets 
acquaintance,  10;  at  Newtown, 
11;  dined  with  Miss  Coursey, 
12;  at  Newcastle,  16;  Chester, 
18;  enters  Philadelphia,  19; 
lodgings,  21 ;  dines  with  mixed 
company,  23 ;  on  Quakers,  25  ; 
declaration  of  war,  28;  char- 
acterizes Philadelphians,  32 ; 
goes  to  Bristol,  35 ;  discusses 
religion,  38;  through  Prince- 
town,  39;  to  Kingstown,  39; 
with  a  philosopher,  42 ;  eats 
fried  clams,  46;  at  New  York, 
48 ;  observations  on  New  York. 
5 1 ;  starts  for  Albany,  58 ; 
hears  discourse  on  doctors, 
63 ;  at  Albany,  74 ;  descrip- 
tion of  Patroon,  75 ;  leaves 
Albany,  85 ;  descends  the 
Hudson,  93 ;  back  to  New 
York,  96;  overhears  conversa- 
tion, 97 ;  hears  epitaph,  99 ;  at 
the  club,  100;  goes  to  Brook- 
haven,  III:  at  New  London, 
117;  sees  Indian  King,  119; 
at  Newport,  122 ;  mistaken  for 
peddler,  127;  at  Dedham,  128; 
at  Boston,  129 ;  speech  of  Hen- 
drick,  137 ;  visits  Smibert,  139 ; 
Charlestown,  143 ;  Marblehead, 
144;  Browne's  country  place, 
148;  Salem,  149;  has  compan- 
ion, 151 ;  in  New  Hampshire, 
152;  Portsmouth,  153;  at  the 
fort,  154;  talks  French,  159; 
talks  genius.  161 ;  on  van- 
ity, 164 ;  a  woman's  opinion  of, 
170 ;  on  Darwin  Theory,  171 ; 
at  Cambridge,  173;  describes 


Harvard,  174;  leaves  Boston, 
180;  at  Dedham,  180;  Provi- 
dence, 181 ;  at  Philosophical 
Club,  185 ;  calls  on  ladies,  190 ; 
examines  microscope,  194 ; 
meets  counterfeiter,  194;  New 
London,  196;  Mr.  Green  on 
New  Lights,  197 ;  Dick  of  Noye 
asked  about,  202;  at  New  Ha- 
ven, 203  ;  at  Yale  College,  203 ; 
Dromo  frightens  the  children, 
206;  a  "Rooseveltian"  family, 
208;  oyster  fisheries,  211;  at 
New  York,  212 ;  on  human  na- 
ture, 213  ;  strange  customs,  216 ; 
at  Jewish  synagogue,  218 ;  with 
a  drunken  doctor,  220 ;  receives 
letters,  221;  New  Jersey,  228; 
on  New  York  society,  228; 
Philadelphia,  233 ;  predictions, 
237;  sees  prodigy,  239;  Miss 
Qiursey,  241 ;  returns  to  Hart's, 
245 ;  returns  home,  245 ;  dis- 
tance travelled,  246;  conclu- 
sion, 246 
Hamilton,  Andrew,  father  of 

John,  99 
Hamilton,  Colonel,  son  of  John,  99 
Hamilton,  John,  of  New  Jersey, 
99 

Hampstead,  Plain,  on  the  road, 
108;  churches  of,  108;  town  of, 
109 

Hampton,  on  the  road,  151 ;  vis- 
ited, 15s ;  described,  156 
Hantick,  now  Niantic,  ferry,  198 
Harding  (Haradine?),  172 
Harrison,  Mrs.,  a  midwife,  245 
Hart  (near  Bohemia),  host,  1,2, 
245 

Hart,  Mrs.,  a  silent  woman,  2 

Harvard  College,  149;  note,  173; 
building  of,  203 

Hasell,  expected  companion,  i ; 
goes  to  Philadelphia,  2 ;  meets, 
21 ;  drank  coffee  with,  23  ;  dines 
with,  26;  in  New  York,  214, 
215;  meets,  219;  breaks  word 
with,  224,  227 

Hassey,  too  little  learning,  188; 
on  the  "Panama  Canal,"  189 


Haylin  (Haylingh?),  82;  host, 

83;  drank  with,  84 
Haynson,  Commodore,  captures 

ship,  221 
Hay  Ruck  (presumably  Canada 

Hill),  66,  94 
Heard's,  stopping-place,  228 
Heath,  a  dry  old  chap,  217 
Heister,  Dr.  Lorenz,  book  of,  167 
Henderson,  a  traveller,  200 
Hendrick,  Chief  of  Mohawks,  137 
Hercules,  Judgment  of,  painting, 

124 

Highlands,  passed,  66,  92,  93,  94 
Hill,  dined  at,  119,  172,  194;  de- 
parts from,  195 
Hippocrates,  days  of,  161 
Hogarth,  alluded  to,  20 
Hogg,  Mr.,  sups  with,  216,  217, 

218,  219,  224 

Hogg's,  lodging  place,  stopped 
at,  so,  57,  96,  100,  212,  214,  227 
Holland,  King  Charles  in,  75 
Holland,  Henry,  the  sheriff,  82 
Hollingsworth's,  stopping  place, 
12 

Holyoke,  Rev.  Edward,  Presi- 
dent Harvard  College,  173 

Home,  Secretary  of  New  Jersey, 
49 ;  dined  with,  234 

Homer,  reference  to  Iliad,  160, 

219,  220,  235 

Hooper,    Rev.    William,  130, 
dined  with,  132;  attends  meet- 
ing of,  133,  136, 139;  host,  140; 
preaches,  159,  160,  162;  meet- 
ings, 170,  171,  172;  accompa- 
nies to  Cambridge,  173 
Horseneck,  on  the  road,  208 
Houses,  Dutch,  13 ;  at  Wilming- 
ton, 16;  general  descriptions, 
18,  39,  43,  SI,  71,  87,  117,  119, 
128;    Browne's,   147;  Berke- 
ley's, 188 
Howard,  Thomas,  accompanies 
to  Philadelphia,  13;  merchant 
calls  on,  16 
Howell's  Tavern,  149,  157 
Hubbard,  a  stopping  plac^  113 
Hughes,  Samuel, a  merchant,  129; 
companion,  131,  132,  133,  135; 


to   Newport,   136,   163,  166; 

rides  with,  169,  170;  at  Castle, 

171;  companion,  173,  175,  176; 

mentioned  in  letter,  222 
Hull,  Dr.,  trades  with  peddler,  1 1 5 
Hungarian  Club,  guest  of,  49; 

all  bumper  men,  106 ;  hosts,  215 
Huntington,  on  the  road,  no 
Hunt's,  stopped  at,  126 
Hutchinson,  Eliakim,  131 
Hybane  Island,  now  Wanton,  92 
H — d,  musician,  57;  meets  again, 

100 

H— y,  N— y,  196 

Indians,  treaty  with,  25 ;  saluta- 
tion, 39;  on  way  to  make 
treaty,  40;  massacre  by,  67; 
king  of,  71 ;  Mohawks,  76 ; 
Cuyler  and,  79;  neighbors,  90; 
settlement  of,  iii;  King 
George,  119;  King  Philip,  126; 
at  churcli,  134;  in  Boston,  137; 
caravan  of,  206;  at  oyster  fish- 
ing, 211 

lona  Island.  See  Cook's  Island, 
65. 

Ipswich,  people  of,  146;  visited, 

149 ;  returned  to,  157 
Irish,  at  tavern,  22 
Irvin.  Captain,  132 
Islands:  Staten,  46;  Long  Island, 

47;  Coney,  47;  Shelter,  116; 

Gardiner's,    116,    174,  211; 

Fisher's,  117;  Two-tree,  117 

Jacobs,  Jerry,  asks  name,  152 

Jamaica,  trader  from,  30;  stran- 
gers from,  55 ;  negroes  of,  56 ; 
Weemse  from,  57 ;  Frenchman 
from,  140,  216 

Jamaica  in  Long  Island,  108; 
church  of,  205 

Jameson,  sheriff  and  story  teller, 
48 

Jarvis's  Tavern,  169 

Jeffreys,  custom  officer,  53 ;  dines 

with,  53 ;  talks  of  fair  sex,  54, 

58;  called,  216 
Jew,  at  tavern,  22,  105 ;  mistaken 

for,  114;  synagogue  of,  218 


Jones,  sheep  of,  150 
Jones   Towne,   near  Baltimore 
town,  3 

Joppa,  village  on  the  road,  3 ;  on 
the  road,  244 

Katharine's  Town,  Staten  Island, 
4.6 

Keith,  Dr.,  an  acquaintance,  124; 

on    return,    187,    188;  visits 

prison  with,  190 
Kemp    (Comp),  seat  of  High 

Germans,  92 
Kenderhuick  (Kinderhook),  on 

the  Hudson,  90 
Killiecrankie,  battle  of,  81 
Killingsworth,  on  the  road,  201 
King,  family  of,  115;  handsome 

girl  of,  116 
King  George  II.,  health  drank, 

50,  239 

Kingsbridge,  on  the  road,  210 
King's  Chapel,  description  of,  133 
Kingston,  on  the  road,  230 
Kingstown,  near  Princetown,  39 
Kitterick,  now  Kittery,  154 
Knockson,  owner  of  sloop,  58; 

quiets   the   braggadocio,    61 ; 

met  in  New  York,  219 
Knox,  son  of  a  friend,  58;  dines 

with,  224 

Laughton,  Henry,  Boston  mer- 
chant, 98;  companion,  108, 
114;  breaks  the  Sabbath,  120; 
guest,  131,  164,  169 

Law,  Jonathan,  Governor  of  Con- 
necticut, 209 

Lay's  lodging  house,  201 

Lechmere,  Thomas,  letters  of 
credit  on,  106;  custom  officer, 
130;  dined  with,  133;  at 
church,  134;  host,  141;  son  of 
surveyor,  196;  lady  guests  of, 
197 

Le  Compte,  host,  210 

Lee,  Colonel  Thomas,  of  Vir- 
ginia, 28;  accompanies  Gov- 
ernor, 30 

Lee,  from  Boston,  125;  parted 
with,  126 


256 


Leech,  Mrs.,  lodging  place,  184; 

stranger  at,  193 
Le  Jupiter,  French  prize,  103 
Leonard's,  tavern  in  Kingstown, 

39,  230 

Le  Saint  Frangois  Xavier,  French 
prize,  103 

Letters,  of  credit,  20,  103,  106, 
125,  131 ;  to  Annapolis,  2,  52, 
134;  to  Dr.  Moffatt,  224;  to 
Moinnerie,  224;  to  Withered, 
173;  to  Great  Britain,  132; 
from  Moinnerie,  223 

Levy,  violinist,  236 

Lewis,  an  eastern  Indian  chief, 
138 

Leyden,  referred  to,  62 
Lightfoot,    of   excellent  sense, 

127;  scolded  by  Betty,  128; 

companion,  160;  host,  170 
Lighthouse,  mentioned,  130,  175 
Lightning,  207 

Lilly's  Grammar,  quotation  from, 
9 

Liquor:  Punch,  2;  sangaree,  3, 
5;  cider,  7;  lemon  punch,  11, 
18;  beer,  47;  other  drinks,  50, 
54,  56,  58,  60,  61,  69,  70,  75,  82, 
84,  96,  loi,  104,  106,  108,  112, 
128,  133,  140,  142,  148,  157, 166, 
169,  171,  172,  187,  203,  211,  214, 
217,  220,  228,  230,  236,  240 

Lisbon,  letters  from,  214 

Little  Rock,  on  the  promenade, 
190 

Little  Sopus  Island,  passed,  70, 
.9? 

Livingston,  fine  house,  70 ;  manor, 
71 ;  at  tavern,  77 ;  sermon  for, 
82 

Lodgings,  21,  50,  115,  129 

London,  ships  from  expected, 
221 

Long  Island,  on  the  road,  47, 

108,  215,  219 
Long  Reach,  part  of  the  Hudson, 

68 

Long  Wharf,  163 
Louis  XIV,  referred  to,  74 
Lovat,  Lord,  story  of,  185 
Lucretia,  waitress,  no 


Luffees,  90 

Lutherans,  at  Albany,  89 
Lynn,  near  the  sea,  143 
Lyon,  Captain,  of  Rye  Bridge, 
208 

Mackay,  captain  of  a  privateer, 

23 ;  at  club,  30 
Magraw,  Dr.  John,  meets,  loi, 

214,  219 
Mahometans,  mistaken  for,  114 
Maidenhead,  on  the  road,  231 
Malbone,  Captain  Godfrey,  has 
largest  house  in  America,  125 ; 
on  return,  184,  187 
Malcolm,  Rev.  Alexander,  host, 
144 ;  sermon  by,  145 ;  compan- 
ion, 146,  147,  148,  149;  pleas- 
ant company,  157 
Mangeau,  Captain,  136 
Mann,  doctor  on  man-of-war,  102 
Mann's  Tavern,  126;  returned  to, 
181 

Marblehead,  larger  than  Albany, 
144;  port  of,  157;  intended 
visit  to,  157 

Markets,  24,  78,  86,  123 

Maryland,  ministers  criticised, 
3 ;  contrasted  with  Pennsyl- 
vania, IS;  questions  about,  23; 
ignorance  of  ministers,  32; 
brother  in,  235 ;  nearing,  238 ; 
returned  to,  244 

Mason,  a  Quaker,  228;  asks 
price  of  cheese,  229;  left,  231 

Massachusetts  Bay,  province  of, 
126;  currency  of,  179 

Mather,  on  religion,  199;  Tav- 
ern, 237;  departed  from,  238 

Matthews,  Admiral,  takes  French 
vessels,  214 

McGraa  (see  Magraw),  Dr.,  a 
Teague,  loi ;  disputed  with, 
104 

Methodists,  at  tavern,  22.  See 

Religions 
Microscope,  194 

Miller's  Tavern,  served  pickled 
oysters,  43,  84;  drank  choco- 
late at,  230 

Millford,  arrived  at,  204 


Millner,  quack  doctor,  241 
Miln,  Rev.  John  (M — Is,  or 
M— s),  met  at  Todd's,  57; 
calls  on,  58;  on  Albany  sloop, 
58,  59;  dined  with,  60;  reads 
on  microscopes,  62 ;  character 
of,  62;  observations  of,  64; 
goes  to  tavern,  68;  suspects 
French,  74 ;  companion,  75,  79, 
80;  visited  with,  80,  82; 
preaches,  82 ;  takes  leave  of, 
85 ;  dines  with  in  New  York, 
106 

Miln,  Mrs.,  old,  jolly  and  fat,  58; 
good  conversationalist,  81 

Miln's  Island,  landed  at,  73;  re- 
turned to,  78 

Missaque,  Indian  name  of  river, 
III 

Mitchell,  doctor  from  Virginia, 
233 

Mochacander  Indians,  71 

Moffatt,  Dr.  Thomas,  a  school- 
fellow, 124;  host,  125;  letter 
from,  136;  host,  184,  185,  187; 
at  breakfast,  191,  194;  letter 
from,  221 ;  letter  to,  224,  233 

Mohawks,  on  way  to  make  treaty, 
40;  religious  sects  of,  139 

Mohooks  Town,  natives  are 
Christians,  77 

Moinnerie,  Mons.,  new  lodger, 
140;  talks  French,  142,  158; 
conversed  with,  159.  163;  a 
visitor,  160,  164,  169,  172,  175 ; 
takes  leave  of,  180;  letter 
from,  221,  222-223 ;  letter  to, 
224 ;  translated,  226 

Monocosy,  referred  to,  7 

Monson's  Tavern,  203 ;  public 
houses  in  general,  203 

Montague  Block  Island,  in  view, 
120 

Montaigne,  essays  read,  22 
Moore,    Lambert,   lawyer  with 
more  learning  than  judgment, 
52,  212 
Moore,  Mrs.,  hostess,  114 
Moravians,  at  tavern,  22;  char- 
acterized, 69;  discussed,  80 
More's  Tavern,  baited  at,  245 


Morgan,  famous  philosopher,  41 ; 
discusses  physick,  42;  Miln  on, 
63 

Morison,  William,  companion,  13  ; 
from  Annapolis,  14;  discussion 
with,  17 

Morpang,  French  rover,  feared, 
118;  news  of,  142 

Morris,  Lewis,  Governor,  resi- 
dence, 35 ;  praised,  36 

Moses,  allusion  to,  41 

Mount  Burnet,  Mr.  Browne's 
home,  148 

Mount  Hope,  King  Philip's 
stronghold,  126 

Murder  Creek,  scene  of  Indian 
massacre,  67,  92 

Murlanin  Island,  now  Rock  Is- 
land, 92 

Music  Club,  visits,  236 

Music,  reference  to,  6,  25,  28,  29, 
57,  8s,  100,  102,  134,  145,  169, 
178,  218,  234,  236 

Mystic,  near  Boston,  143 

M— t,  B— ie,  196 

M— t,  B— y,  232 

Namur,  siege  of,  83 
Nantique  (Nantic),  Indian  town, 
199 

Naragantset  ferry,  see  Conanni- 

cut,  122;  crossed,  194 
Narrows,  crossed,  47,  66 
Negroes,  229 

Negro  plot,  New  York,  57 
Neilson,  of  Philadelphia,  met,  238 
Neilson's,  breakfasted  at,  234 
Newberry,  on  the  way  to,  150; 

arrived  at,  151;  crossed  ferry, 

151,  156 

Newcastle,  Hasell  takes  chaise 
to,  2 ;  road  avoided,  12,  13 ; 
news  of  Hasell,  16;  visited, 
154:  on  the  road,  239,  240 

New  England,  coasting  vessel  of, 
103 

New  Hampshire,  entered,  152; 

described,  155 
New  Haven,  crossed  ferry,  202; 

described,  203 ;  College  at,  203 
New-light,  religion,  8;  at  tav- 


3 


em,  22 ;  pun  on,  40 ;  a  tailor, 
68;  stories  of,  121,  197 

New  London,  described,  117;  de- 
parted from,  118;  crossed  ferry 
of,  118,  196,  departed  from,  198 

Newport,  prizes  at,  120;  crossed 
to,  122 ;  description  of,  123 ; 
women  of,  123 ;  returned  to, 
184 ;  people  of,  191 ;  letter  to, 
224 ;  letter  from,  233 

New  Rochelle,  on  the  road,  210 

Newton.  Sir  Isaac,  alluded  to, 
105,  189 

Newtown,  on  the  road,  i ;  road 
to,  10;  returned  to,  244 

New  York,  war  news  from,  28; 
prepares  trip  to,  30;  arrives  at, 
48;  described,  51 ;  buildings  of, 
51;  women  of,  52;  returns  to, 
96 ;  government,  107 ;  water  of, 
107;  women  of,  108;  arrived 
at,  212;  compared  with  Eng- 
land, 213 ;  ships  of,  221 ;  de- 
parted from,  228;  reflections 
on,  228 

Nicolls's  Tavern,  123,  184 

Nightcaps,  164 

Noise,  Captain,  met,  118 

Northeast,  on  the  road,  8;  in- 
tended for,  242 ;  arrived  at, 
243 

North  River,  weighed  anchor  at, 
59 

Norwalk,  on  the  road,  205 ;  de- 
parted from,  207 

Noyes,  Captain  Oliver,  169 

Nussman's  Island,  ran  aground 
on,  71 ;  on  the  return,  90 

Nutting  Island  (Governor's  Is- 
land), took  spring  water,  59; 
why  so  called,  59 

Occupations,  different  ones  men- 
tioned, 17,  31,  36,  SI,  88,  93, 
110,  114,  144,  177,  242,  243 

Onions,  209 

Oswego,  troops  sent  to,  87 
Overton,  seller  of  works  of  art, 
183 

Oxford,  England,  127 

Oyster  Pond,  set  sail  from,  116 


Paintings,  124;  of  Smibert,  139; 
of  hermit,  220.  See  also 
Art 

Parker,  Benjamin,  Boston  mer- 
chant, 98;  companion,  108; 
wants  to  cure  sick  girl,  109; 
makes  courtship,  no;  as  cap- 
tain, 112,  114;  captivated,  116, 
131 ;  guest,  164,  169;  good  wine 
with,  172 

Pasher,  Captain,  140 

Patapscoe,  road  to,  i ;  ferry,  2, 
244;  crossed  ferry,  245 

Patroon,  75 

Patuxent,  reference  to,  126 
Peach,  owner  of  schooner,  166 ; 

host,  168;  rides  with,  169,  170 
Peddler,  196 

Pemberton,  preaches,  224 
Pemberton,  Samuel,  Judge,  190 
Pennsylvania,    contrasted  with 

Maryland,   15 ;  characterized, 

32.  33 

Perth  Amboy,  on  the  road,  43 ; 
breakfasted,  44 ;  Amboy  de- 
scribed, 44 

Peters,  Richard,  Secretary,  28; 
read  proclamations,  29 

Peters's  tavern,  a  pretty  girl 
there,  109 

Petty,  captain,  a  six-foot  humpy, 
132 

Philadelphia,  described,  19 ; 
churches  of,  20 ;  public  build- 
ings, 20 ;  dames  of,  34 ;  de- 
parted from,  34;  stone  bridges 
near,  34;  privateer  of,  96,  216, 
232 ;  entered,  232,  233 ;  leaves, 
237 

Philip,  noted  Indian  king,  126 
Philips,  chaplain,  175 
Philips,  house  of,  63 
Philips,  Richard,  Governor,  167 
Philipse,  Adolphus,  at  the  club, 
215 

Philosophical  Club,  185 
Philosophy,  discussed,  4,  21,  41, 

164,  170 
Phoebe,  Indian  girl,  no 
Physic,  discussed,  36,  75,  81,  115, 

164 


Physical  Club,  guest  of,  140,  142, 
167 

Pipe,  mentioned,  200,  219 

Piscataquay,  intended  visit  to, 
140;  passed,  229 

Pistols,  carried,  152,  183,  220 

Pitcairn,  and  Boerhaave,  162 

Placentia,  news  of,  131 

Poets,  English,  23 

Politics,  discussed,  3,  17,  22,  36, 
53,  219,  233,  238,  240 

Pope,  death  of,  221 

Portsmouth,  intended  visit  to, 
140;  company  to,  151;  place 
mistaken  for,  152;  arrived  at, 
153;  described,  153;  departed 
from,  155 ;  harbor  of,  157 

Poughkeepsie,  a  small  village, 
68 ;  on  return,  92 

Prec  Stone,  or  preaching  stone,  72 

Presbyterians,  at  tavern,  22; 
churches  of,  24 ;  clergy  dis- 
cussed, 31 ;  in  New  Jersey,  45. 
See  Religions 

Prices,  33 

Princetown,  on  the  road,  39 

Principio,  iron  works,  8 

Privateers,  reference  to,  23,  30, 
44,  90,  96,  103,  III.  116,  123, 
131,  166,  192,  204,  212,  214 
221 

Products,  different  ones  men- 
tioned, 34,  38,  59.  64,  73,  107, 
177,  229 

Proverbs,  4,  32,  208 

Providence,  described,  181 ; 
crossed  ferry,  183 

Public  buildings,  13,  18;  of  Phil- 
adelphia, 20,  24,  27;  on  the 
way,  45,  71,  82,  86,  108,  113, 
123,  133,  145 

Purcell.  lately  dead,  98;  epitaph 
of,  99 

P — r,  of  Annapolis,  141 

Quaker,  entertains,  19;  at  tav- 
ern, 22 ;  edifices,  24 ;  in  New 
Jersey.  36 ;  others  met,  45,  238 
Queen  of  Sheba,  243 
Quevedo's  visions,  read,  116 
Quiet,   Thomas,   crossed  ferry 


with,  7 ;  impugns  doctrines,  8 ; 

left  behind,  8 
Quin,  a  musician,  236 

Rabelais,  allusion  to,  5 

Ransbeck  (Rhinebeck),  a  Ger- 
man town,  71 

Ranslaer,  'Cobus,  had  a  sawmill 
run  by  water,  72 ;  Jeremiah, 
the  Patroon,  74 ;  character- 
ized, 75;  host,  75,  77,  78;  Ste- 
phen, brother  of  Patroon,  76; 
host,  79,  80,  83,  84 

Raritan,  forded  river,  43,  230 

Razolini,  Onorio,  presented  with 
manuscript,  last  page 

Reid's  Tavern,  at  Marblehead, 
144 

Religions,  mentioned,  8,  13,  19, 
20,  22,  24,  30,  36,  37,  40,  45,  68, 
77,  89,  114.  121,  123,  136,  139, 
143,  177.  178,  192,  204,  235,  236, 
238,  243 

Rhae,  a  merchant,  220,  227 ; 
companion,  228,  230,  231,  232, 
233 

Rhode  Island,  privateers  of,  120; 
ferry  of.  122;  description  of, 
123;  Sabbath  of,  195;  letters 
to,  221.  222,  223 

Roads :  Patapscoe,  i ;  from  Joppa, 
5  ;  hilly,  6 ;  Newcastle,  12 ;  Elk, 
12;  descriptions  of,  34,  38,  45, 
47,  109.  125,  204,  207,  208,  210, 
230,  238.  243 

Robin's  Tavern,  126;  departed 
from,  128 

Rogers  Island.  See  Vanskruik, 
91 

Rogers,  Rev.  John,  delivered  let- 
ters to,  149;  on  return.  157 

Rogers's  Tavern,  kept  by  Wil- 
liam Rogers,  244 

Rollin's  Belles  Lettres  read. 
85 

Roman  Chapel,  sees  pretty  girls 
at,  234 

Rose  Island,  one  tree,  122 
Roseboom,  a  physician,  80 
Rou,  Rev.  Louis  (Rue),  at 
French  church,  221 


260 


Ruiz,  Paul,  196;  is  seen,  216 
Rye  Bridge,  passed,  209 

Sabbath,  observance  of,  120,  184, 
195 

Sagatick  River,  forded,  205 
Salem,  visited,  146;  returned  to, 

148;    described,    149;  ferry 

crossed,  149;  traveller  to,  156; 

returns  to,  157;  fort  at,  157 
Salmon,  Dr.,  allusion  to,  27 
Sassafrax   Ferry,   crossed,  10; 

River,  173 
Sawmill,  72 

Schenectady,  visited,  78 
School,  78 

Schuyler,  Mrs.,  a  widow,  80 
Schuyler,  Colonel  Peter,  host,  77 
Scotland,  religion  in,  31 
Scots,  at  tavern,  22 ;   at  club, 
185 

Scots'  Quarterly  Society,  guest 
of,  162 

Scots  Willie,  once  a  soldier,  81 

Scott,  Walter,  83,  note 

Scran,  host,  201 ;  in  Queen  Anne's 

War,  201 
Scrotum,  Captain,  comical,  22 
Seabrook  Ferry,  199,  200;  town, 

200 

Setoquet,  Indian  name  of  Brook- 
haven,  III 

Seventh-day  men.    See  New 
Light 

Sewall,  Stephen,  host,  146 ; 
lodged  with,  149;  out  of  town, 
IS7 

Shaftesbury,  Earl  of,  124 
Shakesburrough,   a   half  hewn 

doctor,  78 
Shakespear,   read,   232;  Timon 

of  Athens,  235 
Shamany    (Neshaminy),  ferry, 

34;  crossed,  232 
Shelter  Island,  cleared,  116 
Sherlock's  writings  burned,  197 
Ship  Tavern,  146,  148,  157 
Shirley,  William,  Governor,  177 
Simmonds,  of  South  Carolina,  175 
Singleton,  John,  farm  of,  151 
Skuylkill,  crosses  ferry,  19,  237 


Slake's  Tavern,  126 
Slater,  Mrs.,  lodged  at,  153 
Sleigh,  95 

Smibert,  John,  visits  studio  of, 
139,  164 

Smith,  a  would-be  privateer,  iii ; 

tricks  of,  112 
Smith,  Timothy,  companion,  13; 

discussion  with,  17 
Smith's,  lodged  at,  243 
Smithtown  River,  forded,  iii 
Snake,  94 

Solomon,  Indian  guide,  76 
Solomon,  King,  quoted,  61 
Sopus,  village  famous  for  its 

beer,  70;  creek  of,  92 
Sound,  rode  by,  115,  198,  199, 

203 

Southhold,  town  of,  114 

South  Kingstown,  same  as  Tower 
Hill,  120,  194 

Spaniards,  216 

Spencer,  Dr.,  lecturer,  232 

Spenser,  Faerie  Queene  alluded 
to,  119 

Spider,  194 

Spinet.    See  Music 

Spratt,  Major  John,  piece  of  an- 
tiquity, 98;  in  the  company, 
106;  shows  painting,  220 

Stamford,  on  the  road,  207 

Stanespring,  seven  rustic  chil- 
dren, 64 

State  House.  See  Public  Build- 
ings 

Staten  Island,  description  of,  45 
Stevenson,  Scots  gentleman,  80 
St.  John  Indians,  127,  138 
Stonington,  properly  named,  118; 

on  the  road,  196 
Stratford,   crossed   ferry,  204; 

town,  204 
Streets,  of  Philadelphia,  19,  24 ; 

of  Bristol,  35 ;  described,  45, 

50,  51,  86,  141,  177 
Strider,  236 

Sugar  Loaf,  a  conical  hill,  iig 
Sun  Tavern,  140,  142,  162 
Susquehanna,  ginseng  region,  4 ; 

ferry,  7,  243 
Synagogue,  218 


261 


Tasker,  commission  to,  236 
Taverns :  Altum's,  242 ;  Angell's, 
182;  Benjamin's,  204;  Bond's, 
36,  231;  Brown's,  3;  Bu- 
chanan's, III ;  Case's,  120,  194; 
Choat's,  156;  Cockburn's,  19; 
Curtis's,  13;  Fanning's,  113; 
Flat's,  110;  Foord's,  16;  Grif- 
fin's, 156;  Hake's,  181;  Hart's, 
I :  Hill's,  194;  Hollingsworth's, 
12;  Jarvis's,  169;  Leonard's, 
39;  Mann's,  126, 181 ;  Mather's, 
237;  Miller's,  84;  Monson's, 
203  ;  NicoU's,  123,  184  ;  Peters's, 
109;  Reid's,  144;  Robins's,  126; 
Rogers's,  244;  Ship,  146; 
Slake's,  126;  Sun,  108,  140, 
162;  Swan,  143;  Thomas's,  18; 
Todd's,  49;  Tradaway's,  4, 
244;  Van  Bibber's,  12,  239, 
Waghorn's,  48,  106,  212;  Wal- 
ton's, 35,  231 ;  Withered's,  136 
Taylor,  stopping  place,  205 
Teague,  a  genuine  one,  85,  240 
Tenbroeck  (Tansbrook),  Dirck, 

dined  with,  82 
Terence,  composed  a  book,  9 
Terence,  the  ferryman,  242 
Theology,  148 
Thetis,  226 

Thomas,  George,  Governor,  25 ; 
proclaimed  war,  28;  character 
of,  33 ;  house  of,  35 ;  mill  of, 
35 

Thomas's  tavern,  18 

Thompson,  Dr.  Adam,  36 

Thomson,  stopped  at,  118; 
names  of  children,  119;  re- 
turned to,  195 

Thunder  Hill,  same  as  Dunder 
Barrack,  65 

Tillotson's  Sermons  burned,  197 

Titles,  201 

Tobacco,  142,  148 

Todd's  tavern,  goes  to,  49;  with 
Dr.  Colchoun,  51 ;  dines  at,  52, 
54;  Todd  drunk,  54;  dined  at, 
55 ;  raspberries  served,  56 ; 
dines  at,  57,  58;  trouble  with 
Dutch,  58;  returns  to,  96; 
pumped,   97;    with   Miln  at, 


106;  calls  at,  212;  dines  at, 
214,  216,  217,  218,  219,  220,  221, 
224,  227 

Tower  Hill,  a  good  view  from, 
120 

Tradaway's  Tavern,  4,  244 
Trenton,  visited,  35 ;  departed 

from,  38;  country  about,  39; 

on  the  road,  231 
Trinity  Church,  New  York,  96 
Trophies,  124 

Trueman,  Captain  from  Antigua, 
118 

Turtle  Bay,  fleet  in,  211 

Two-tree  Island,  seen  at  dis- 
tance, 117 

Tyng,  Edward,  captures  pri- 
vateer, 90 ;  hero  in  the  war, 
128;  vessel  taken  by,  131 

Usher,  clergyman,  16;  compan- 
ion, 18 
Usurer,  131 

Vanbibber's,  not  on  the  road, 
12;  stopped  at,  240;  maids  at, 
240 

Van  Bummill,  Marcus,  a  drunk 
passenger,  60;  on  doctors,  63; 
reads  the  Bible,  64;  on  his 
darling  theme,  67;  leaves  the 
sloop,  68 

Van  Dames,  host,  60 

Vanderbank,  Dutch  artist,  148 

Vans,  Hugh,  called,  135;  lives 
with,  136 

Vanskruik,  peninsula  of,  91 

Verulam,  Lord,  alluded  to,  189 

Villain,  195 

Violin.    See  Music 

Virginia,  215,  220 

V — bles,  an  anti-mason,  21 

Wachusett  Mountain,  seen  at  dis- 
tance, 148 
Wade,  Gen.  George,  story  of,  185 
Waghorn's  tavern,  topers'  head- 
quarters, 48;  stops  at,  97,  106, 
212,  219 

Wallace,  companion,  34;  attends 
church  with,  234,  236 


262 


Walpole,  Sir  Robert,  allusion  to, 
15 

Walton's  tavern,  35;  breakfasted 

at,  231 
Wampum,  88 

Wanton,  Gideon,  treasurer,  191 
War,  French,  6,  17,  28;  Queen 

Anne's,  116,  201 
Warren,  Commodore,  97;  cap- 
tured French  prizes,  103 ;  ves- 
sel of,  211,  230 
Waterhouse,  Boston  privateer,  166 
Waters,  Captain,  travels  with,  4 
Watts,  John,  a  visitor,  100 ;  dined 

with,  234 
Weak,  Ebenezer,  host,  207 
Weemse,  of  Jamaica,  57;  dined 
with,   232;    goes   to  Roman 
Chapel  with,  234 
Wendall,  from  Boston,  102;  mu- 
sic of,  103,  106 
Wendall,  Captain  Jacob,  meets, 
131,  132;  host,  136;  with  In- 
dians, 137 
Wendall  (Wendel?),  master  of 

sloop,  84;  sloop  of,  8s 
Wentworth,  Benning,  Governor, 

153 ;  took  leave  of,  155 
West  Indies,  money  from,  88 
White,  a  Philadelphian,  229,  230, 
231 

Whitefield,  Rev.  John,  allusion 
to,  8;  church,  20;  church  of, 
24 ;  preaching,  69 ;  sermons  of, 
91 ;  effects  of  preaching,  147 ; 
his  conduct,  199 

Whitehall,  a  public  house,  187 

Widows,  201 

Wigs,  164,  181 

William,  King,  162 

Williams,  Captain,  187;  meets, 
188;  host,  189 


Williams,  Major,  breakfasted 
with,  118;  host,  196;  departed 
from,  196 

Williams,  Mrs.,  patronizes  ped- 
dler, 196 

Williams,  James,  a  fisherman,  93 

Wilmington,  passed,  16 

Wilson,  an  impudent  fellow, 
?5 

Withered,  Miss,  an  agreeable 
lady,  172;  letter  of,  173 

Withered's  Tavern,  dined  at,  131, 
136;  meets  a  doctor  at,  140, 
142,  160,  162,  163,  166,  167,  170, 
172,  174,  175,  176 

Women,  a  silent  one,  2;  Miss 
Coursey,  12;  landlady,  14;  and 
scandal,  27 ;  in  general,  30,  39, 
48,  52,  53,  61,  108,  110,  iig, 
124,  133,  150,  158,  163,  167,  168, 
172,  178,  185,  197,  210,  227,  234, 
239 

Woodberry,  claimed  superhuman 

powers,  146 
Woodbridge,  Staten  Island,  46; 

on  the  road,  228 
Wrentham,  on  return,  181 
W — b,  a  lawyer,  11 
Wye,  Parson,  9,  242 

Yale  College,  203 

York,  Ferry,  crosses  with  a 
charming  woman,  48;  sees  is- 
land of,  95,  96;  crosses  ferry, 
108;  Government,  210;  island, 
211 ;  departs  from,  227 

York,  village  in  New  Hamp- 
shire, 155 

Zachary,  Dr.  Lloyd,  host,  28 
Zenzindorff,  Count,  founder  of 
sect,  69 


263 


The  following  memorandum  in  the  handwriting 
of  the  author  appears  in  the  back  of  the  original 
manuscript : 

Presented  by  Alexander  Hamilton,  Doctor  of 
Medicine,  to  Onorio  Razolini. 


Annapolis,  Nov.  2g,  1744. 


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